IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Micro'v9productions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiquen 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


0  Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


D 


Couverture  endommagde 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaur6e  et/ou  peliicuide 


I      I    Cover  title  missing/ 


D 
D 
D 
D 


Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

Coloured  maps/ 

Cartes  gdographiques  en  couleur 

Coloured  inic  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  blacit)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  li.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 
Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
Reli6  avec  d'autres  documents 


r~p\    Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 


D 


D 


along  interior  margin/ 

La  reliure  serrde  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 

distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  int6rieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajout6es 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais.  lorsque  cela  6tait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  6t6  fiimies. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  suppiimentaires; 


The 
to  tl 


L'institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exempiaire 
qu'il  lui  a  6t6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exempiaire  qui  sont  peut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  methods  normale  de  fiimage 
sont  indiqu6s  ci-dessous. 


I      I   Coloured  pages/ 


D 


Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagdes 

Pages  restored  and/oi 

Pages  restaurdes  et/ou  pellicul6es 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxe( 
Pages  d6coior6es,  tachetdes  ou  piqu6es 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  ddtach6&s 

Showthroughy 
Transparence 

Quality  of  prir 

Qualit^  indgale  de  I'impression 

includes  supplementary  materii 
Comprend  du  matdriel  suppldmentaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 


I      j  Pages  damaged/ 

I — I  Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 

I — I  Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 

r~~|  Pages  detached/ 

I      I  Showthrough/ 

I      I  Quality  of  print  varies/ 

I      I  Includes  supplementary  material/ 

I — I  Only  edition  available/ 


The 
pos 
oft 
film 


Ori( 
beg 
the 
sior 
oth( 
first 
sior 
or  il 


Ths 
sha 
TIN 
whi 

Mai 
diff 
enti 
beg 
righ 
reqi 
met 


Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  rafilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  6t6  film^ec  d  nouveau  de  fa^on  d 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  filmd  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqu6  ci-dessous 

10X                            14X                             18X                            22X 

26X 

aox 

_i_ 

y 

12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


The  copy  filmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

University  of  British  Columbia  Library 


L'exemplaire  film6  fut  reproduit  grAce  d  la 
gin^rositA  de: 

University  of  British  Columbia  Library 


The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Las  images  suivantes  ont  6X6  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettet6  de  l'exemplaire  fllm6,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
fllmage. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimis  sont  film6s  en  commengant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustratlon,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  selon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  filmis  en  commenqant  par  la 
premiere  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustratlon  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  -^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END  "), 
whichever  applies. 


Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  ie  symbole  — »>  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbole  V  signifie  "FIN". 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
film6s  d  des  taux  de  reduction  diffdrents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  cliche,  il  est  film6  d  partir 
de  Tangle  supdrieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  ndcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mdthode. 


1 

2 

3 

1  2  3 

4  5  6 


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Ctaliforniei 


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WHY  THE  RUSSIANS  CAME  AND  WHY  THEY    LEFT 


13^'    1>^.    A.    Xlioiiipsoii 


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-  The  Kussiciiis  ill  California 


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"OS 


(MIAPTKR  I 

Tlic  Ht')ry  of  till'  rapid  coii- 
<|U»'Ht  (;i  Sil)ei'iii,  hegimuiif^  with 
tlio  lulvance  of  Vcrniak,  tlie  rohbor 
<'iiiof,  aoroHH  tlie  Ural  mountains  in 
the  sixteenth  century,  ending  with 
th(!  discovery  of  the  northwest  <'oast 
of  America  hy  Adniinil  I'ehring  of 
the  liusdian  navy,  is  one  of  the 
most  remarkahle  achievements  in 
the  concjuest  and  ()ccui)ation  of  a 
country  in  the  annals  of  history. 

Hehring  discovered  the  fur  seal 
,Hs  well  as  the  proximity  f)f  the 
Asiatic  and  American  continents. 
In  the  course  of  time  the  rumors  of 
the  discoveries  reached  the  Europe- 
an ciipitals  of  Ijondon  and  Madrid. 
It  hiid  a  long  way  to  travel  ovtu'- 
land  to  St.  Petersburg.  Once 
started,  the  rumors  soon  rea<'he(lthe 
^inirp  eai's  of  the  diplomatists  and 
were  pn-nritly  reported  to  their 
Jiome  governments. 

The  rcsnlt  was  the  fitting  out  of 
Captain  Cook's  expedition  for  dis- 
coveries in  that  (piarterby  the  Eng- 
lish, a  like  expedition  from  Mexico 
l)y  crdcr  of  tlie  King  of  Spain. 


In  the  iOnglish  expedition  came 
the  first  pioneers  of  American  peo- 
ple to  the  Pacific  coast:  John  Led- 
yard,  a  native  of  Coiniecticut,  and 
Captain  .John  Oore,  a  native  of 
Virginia.  The  latter,  on  the  death 
of  Captain  (!ook  at  the  Hawaiian 
islands,  took  conunand  as  the  rank- 
ing oflicer,  and  returned  with  the 
fleet  to  England. 

We  omit  thecnmi)lications  which 
arose  between  Engbind  and  Spain 
over  their  respective  claims  on  the 
northwest  coast  of  America,  the 
outgrowth  of  tliese  early  voyages, 
and  return  to  the  Russians,  with 
whom  we  have  directly  to  deal. 

'I'he  charter  of  the  Russian- 
American  company  gave  them  some 
extraordinary  privileges,  which,  in 
fact,  included  the  government  ni 
the  country,  and  it  soon  ai)sorbed 
all  the  various  independent  associ- 
ations and  became  supreme  on  the 
northwest  American  coast. 

A  bold  and  enterprising  adven- 
turer named  Shelekof,  a  man  of 
great  executive  ability  and  energy, 
was  mainlv  instrumental  in  organ- 


AI.EXANOER    lUliANOFF    APPKAHS 


izing  the  Russian-American  Fur 
Ootnpany.  He  selected  for  the 
head  of  the  monopoly  he  had  cre- 
ated Alexander  Haranoff.  Haranoff 
was  a  striking  tyj)e  of  the  strong 
race  from  which  he  sjirang.  He 
started  life  as  a  clerk  in  a  retail 
store  in  Moscow.  This  offered  no 
field  to  a  spirit  so  adventurous  as 
his.  He  went  to  Siberia  in  17.S(), 
He  was  actively  engaged  in  husi- 
ness  when  8helekof  put  him  at  the 
liead  of  his  company,  and  he  never 
displayed  better  judgment  than  in 
this  selection  of  an  agent.  Haran- 
off was  energetic,  daring,  politic  on 
occasion,  and  bold  as  Civsar  when 
holdness  was  needed.  He  could  ex- 
ecute the  plans  of  others,  and  with 
equal  ability  could  conceive  and 
execute  ])lans  of  -his  own.  His  in- 
fluence over  the  Russian  was  un- 
limited, and  he  ruled  not  only  the 
natives  but  his  more  unruly  coun- 
trymen of  the  lowest  class  who 
were  sent  out  to  him.  He  was  a 
small  man,  under  average  in  size, 
with  blue  eyes,  a  bald  head  and 
sallow  complexion.  He  was  diplo- 
matic and  could  siiape  words  for  a 
flexible  meaning,  and  wiien  he 
wanted  to  could  make  tiiem  as  di- 
rect as  a  rifle  ball  aimed  point- 
blank.  Vov  instance,  he  wrote  to 
his  compaii}'  "  Send  n)e  a  priest 
well-informed,  wim  is  a  peaceable 
man,  not  suspicious  and  not  biggot- 
ted."'  For  tiie  rest,  lie  was  in  the 
habit  of  getting  on  periodii^il  sprees 
on  hot  rum,  in  wbicli  he  generiilly 
involved     cvcrvbddv     ;u'(iund     Iiis 


"castle"  before  he  got  through,  hut 
they  never  interfered  with  his  busi- 
ness. 

(,)ne  of  the  most  notable  of  the 
events  of  his  life  was  the  building 
out  of  American  timber  and  the 
launching  of  the  first  American- 
built  vessel  on  the  northwest  coast. 
It  was  named  the  Pho-nix  by  Har- 
anoff and  was  floated  in  August, 
17!t4,  and  afterwards  made  regular 
trips  between  the  American  and 
Asiatic  coast. 

Starting  about  the  same  time,  the 
Russians  had  crossed  and  occupied 
Siberia,  had  crossed  Behring  sea 
and  occupied  tiie  American  coast 
and  established  communication 
with  Asia  by  a  ship  built  of  Amer- 
ican timber,  before  the  English 
moving  on  the  Atlantic  coast  iiad 
yet  more  than  reached  the  Mississ- 
ipjii  river. 

Nothing  could  better  illustrate 
the  push  and  drive  of  the  people  of 
this  mighty  nation  now  pressing,  if 
it  has  not  already  attained,  the 
iirst  place  ann)ng  ail  Fiiropeaii  and 
Asiatic  powers. 

With  this  much  by  viy  of  intro- 
duction, we  will  relate  in  detail  the 
even  more  daring  o( .  uoaiion  by 
order  of  liMraiioff  of  the  territory 
of  California,  miuI  it  was  undoubt- 
edly his  intention  to  hold  itagainst 
i's  then  owners  for  all  time,  and 
his  successors  would  have  done  so 
but  for  the  i  .nely  promulgation  in 
18'2.'>of  the  Monroe  Doctrine  which 
gave  notice  to  all  the  world  that  no 
ticciipalion    of  .\mevic:in     territory 


I 


r: 


«^ 


J» 


VON    HKSANOF    IN    CALIFORNIA 


liy  Eiiropeiiii  powers  would  l)o  tol- 
erated by  the  United  States. 

This  i)riiu'i])le  was  finally  and 
forever  settled  iis  far  as  llussia  was 
concerned  in  its  treaty  with  the 
United  States  of  April  17,  1824,  in 
which  Russia  agreed  from  thence- 
forth to  establish  no  settlements  on 
the  American  continent  or  any  ad- 
jacent islands  south  of  the  parallel 
of  54.40.  This  treaty,  though  the 
Russian  settlement  in  ('alifornia 
was  not  mentioned,  involved  its 
abandonment  and  put  an  end  to  any 
further  Russian  encroachments  in 
California. 

The  Russian  American  Fur  Com- 
pany had  now  concentrated  all  the 
fur  interests  of  the  northwest  coast 
under  the  direction  of  Baranoff. 
They  occupied  all  the  Aleutian  Is- 
lands and  made  a  permanent 
settlement  on  the  American  coast. 
It  was  destined  to  play  a  large  part 
in  the  history  of  (falifornia,  as  we 
shall  see. 

CHAl'TICK  II. 
The  first  event  which  may  b"  con- 
sidered as  leading  to  the  settlement 
of  the  Russians  at  F-irt  Ross,  was 
the  sailing  from  Sitka  on  March 
8th,  1S0(),  of  Chamlierlain  Uesanof, 
of  the  Russian-American  Fur  Com- 
pany, on  the  ship  Jjno  (formerly 
an  American  vessel)  bound  for  Cal- 
ifornia on  a,  trading  voyage.  Re- 
fore  Resanof's  return  to  Sitka  he 
seems  to  have  determined  to  make 
a  settlement  somewhere  on  the 
California  coast  where  hiscom|Kiny 


could  carry  on  agriculture,  and 
trade  with  the  Californians.  It  was 
deemed  unnecessary  to  ask  permis- 
sion of  Spain,  as  Spanish  authority 
north  of  San  Francisco  Ray  was 
not  recognized  by  the  Russians; 
and  the  Russian  government  had 
already  authorized  the  company  to 
extend  Russian  sovereignly  as  far 
south  as  possible  without  infringing 
on  the  rights  of  other  nations. 

Resanof  v.'as  ambitious.  lie 
hoped  to  eventually  ac(iuire  for  his 
country  all  the  territory  from  San 
Francisco  Bay  to  the  Ct)lumbia 
river.  The  important  mission  of 
locating  the  site  for  the  future  set- 
tlement was  intrusted  to  Kuskof, 
who  by  order  of  Raranoff  sailed  on 
the  Kodiak,  and  after  touching  at 
Trinidad,  arrived  at  Bodega  Bay 
(always  called  l)y  the  Russians  Port 
Rumiantsoff )  on  .January  8th,  1809. 
Here  the  Kodiak  remained  at  an- 
chor until  August.  After  carefully 
exploring  the  surrounding  country, 
some  temporary  buildings  were 
erected,  some  otter  and  beaver  skins 
Avere  procured  and  friendly  rela- 
tions were  establisiied  with  the 
Indians. 

Cn  August  2'Jtb  Kuskof  sailed 
for  Sitka,  and  ujwn  his  arrival  was 
al)le  to  report  favoral)ly  concerning 
the  country.  He  !.ad  found  a  fine 
climate,  good  tillable  lands,  plenty 
of  fish  and  fur-bearing  animals  and 
a  tolerable  harbor.  And  as  the 
country  was  entirely  unoccupied  by 
luiropean  or  .Vmerican  settlers,  the 
conditions    were   favorable   for  the 


*% 


,1 
-1 


T 


'  t  i 


4 


KUPKOF  AUHIVKS  AT  RODKOA 


!  I 


colonj'.  80  the  Czar  of  Russia  was 
l)etitione(l  to  open  nej^otiations  witli 
Spain  with  a  view  of  a  treaty  al- 
h)wing  trade  with  New  Albion,  as 
Northern  California  was  then 
called.  And  he  was  also  asked  to 
give  the  settlement  the  protection 
of  the  Russian  government  in  case 
of  opposition  by  the  Americans. 
And  this  protection,  it  is  said,  was 
promised  by  the  Czar;  while,  as  to 
trading  with  the  Californians,  the 
com{)any  were  told  to  make  such 
terms  as  they  could.  Upon  re- 
ceiving this  encouragement,  Kuskof 
atteni))ted  a  new  expedition  to 
Bodega,  but  was  unsuccessful,  for 
while  stoiiping  at  tiueen  Char- 
lotte's islar.d,  he  was  attacked  by 
Indians  and  was  compelled  to  re- 
tur!i  to  8itka. 

In  1811,  Kuskof  again  sailed  for 
ISodega  in  the  schooner  Chirikof 
and  upon  his  arrival  he  at  once  re- 
newed liis  explorations  in  the  en- 
deavor if  possible  to  find  a  better 
place  than  Hodega  at  which  to 
establish  his  head(in;irters  and 
l)uild  his  fort,  lie  found  a  place, 
sixteen  miles  by  water  north  of 
I'xxlega,  called  by  the  Indians  .Mad- 
shuinui  where,  thtiugh  there  was 
no  l.ind-loeked  bay,  there  was  ex- 
cellent anchorage,  and  good  pro- 
tection from  all  summer  winds; 
and  he  found  that  all  other  ad- 
vantages, such  as  soil,  timber,  water 
and  pasturage  were  much  better 
than  at    iindegn. 

The  valley  of  tlie  Slavianka 
(Russian  River)  was  examined   for 


fifty  miles  but  no  place  was  found 
that  compared  favorably  with  Mad- 
shui-mui,  so  after  a  thorough  in- 
vestigation of  the  whole  country, 
Mad-shui-mui  was  chosen  and  work 
was  commenced  at  once.  The  site 
selected  was  a  table- land  about  KK) 
feet  above  the  ocean  and  containing 
something  over  1000  acres  and  was 
according  to  Russian  observation 
in  latitude  88'  33'  longitude  123' 
1-')'  (our  coast  pilot  puts  it  now  in 
hit.  38'  30'  long.  123'  15'  ).  The 
friendshii)  of  the  native  chiefs  was 
secured  by  making  them  presents 
and  the  Russians  claim,  anil  it  is 
])robal)ly  true,  that  the  country  was 
ceded  by  the  Indians  to  the  Com- 
pany There  were  at  this  time  ii; 
the  Russian  Colony,  1*5  Russians, 
including  25  mechanics.  There 
were  also  about  80  Aleuts  with  a 
fleet  of  40  bidarkas  (skin  boats). 
Tiie  Aleuts  were  sent  out  to  hunt 
otter  along  the  coast,  but  with  in- 
structions to  n<)t  enter  San  Fran- 
cisco Hay,  for  it  was  oest  at  this 
time  not  to  offend  the  Spaniards. 
The  Russians  prepared  timber  for 
several  months  and  when  all  was 
ready  the  Aleuts  were  recalled  to 
aid  tl'.e  mechanics,  anil  all  went  to 
work  on  the  fort  and  other  neces- 
sary buildings.  And  in  a  few 
months  a  fortified  village  had 
arisen  on  the  shore  of  New  .Albion. 
In  the  fort  were  mounted  at  first 
oiiiv  twelve  cannon,  l>ut  the  num- 
ber   of   cannon    was     increased     to 

about  forty  in  after  years.  All  was 
(loiujileted  early  in   September    and 


MORAflO   IS    SENT    TO    nOSS 


V 

! 

t 


on  Septemher  10th,  or  August  30th 
of  the  Ilnssian  calendar,  the  name 
(lay  of  Emperor  Alexander,  the 
establishment  was  formally  dedi- 
cated with  great  festivity  and 
named  Ross  from  the  root  of  the 
name  Russia,  a  word  extending  far 
back  into  antiquity. 

As  to  the  exact  original  meaning 
of  the  word  Ross  there  seems  to  be 
a  difference  of  opinion,  but  it  is 
certain  that  the  people  of  the  Volga 
were  formerly  called  Rus,  and  the 
Russians  generally  were  called  the 
people  of  Ross,  and  the  country  is 
3'et  called  Rossia  or  Russia. 

About  this  time  there  was  dis- 
tributed over  California  a  procla- 
mation issued  by  the  Russian 
American  Fur  Company  and  ad- 
dressed to  the  people  of  California. 
It  wasa  very  conciliatory  document 
and  was  intended  to  make  friends 
of  the  Californians,  and  thus  ad- 
vance the  interests  of  the  Russians. 
But  it  seems  to  have  done  no  good, 
for  the  (!alifornians  were  jealous  of 
their  own  rights  and  suspicious  of 
foreigners.  Thus  it  was  that  the 
Russians,  in  less  than  a  year's 
time,  found  themselves  lirmly 
planted  in  (;alift)rnia  without  have 
ing  met  with  any  resistance  from 
tile  Indians  or  Spaniards.  The 
.Spanish  were  cognizant  of  what 
was  going  on  at  Ross,  but  were  en- 
tirely unable  to  prevent  it.  Uut  in 
August,  just  before  the  dedication 
of  Ross,  Commandanet  Argut'llo,  of 
San  Francisco,  sent  AForaga,  "a 
.Spani.sh  officer,"  with  seven  men,  to 


Ross  to  investigate.  Moraga  re- 
turned September  1st  and  reported 
that  the  Russians  had  built  a  fort 
protected  by  artillery,  and  appar- 
ently intended  to  remain.  Moraga 
was  courteously  received  by  the 
Russians  and  was  allowed  to  make 
a  complete  inspection  of  the  fort. 

Morago  was  again  gent  to  Ross,  in 
January,  1813,  when  he  conferred 
with  Kuskof  about  trade.  He  was 
made  acquainted  with  the  plans  of 
+he  strangers  and  returned  January 
27th.  Arguello  communicated  to 
the  Viceroy  the  result  of  Morago's 
two  visits  to  Ross.  There  is  nothing 
in  the  Spanish  record  to  show  that 
the  (lovernor  or  Commandante  of 
California  ever  gave  the  Russians 
permission  to  settle  in  the  country 
or  even  consented  to  trade  with 
them  without  the  Viceroy's  permis- 
sion. Meantime,  the  Viceroy  had 
learned  that  the  Russians  had  set- 
tled on  the  coast,  and  in  July  he 
wrote  to  Arriaga  instructing  him  to 
watch  the  strangers.  He  did  not 
fear  hostilities  from  the  Russians, 
but  feared  that  they  were  not  what 
they  seemed.  They  might  be  con- 
nected with  Anglo-American  de- 
signs upon  Calitornia.  Three  weeks 
later,  on  receipt  of  Arriaga's  letter, 
the  Viceroy  again  wrote,  enclosing 
the  treaty  between  Russia  and 
Spain,  and  instructing  the  Com- 
mandante to  notify  Kuskof  that  his 
occui)ation  of  Californian  territor3' 
was  a  (ilear  violation  of  the  treaty, 
and  requesting  him  to  immediately 
remove  his  establishment. 


A    DESCUIITIO.V    OF    THE    SKTTI.FMRNT    OF    KOSS 


CHAPTER  III. 

Meanwhile  the  llussiiins  were  to 
he  eloyely  watclied,  iiiul  the  militavy 
iiuthorities  of  the  peninsuhi  ami 
also  of  the  interior  were  to  hold 
themselves  in  readiness  to  furnish 
aid  in  case  of  an  en)ergency.  These 
communications  reached  California 
early  in  1814,  and  in  A])ril  Mora<;a 
was  a  third  time  sent  with  an  es- 
cort to  Ross  with  letters  in  which 
Arriaga  made  known  to  Kuskof 
the  Viceroy's  instructions.  The 
Russian  commander  declinetl  togive 
a  definite  answer  until  he  could 
hear  from  his  superior,  Baranoff. 
t^o  he  waited  until  June  hefore  ans- 
wering, and  then  he  answered,  that 
as  he  did  not  fully  understand  tlu' 
(Spanish  letters,  he  could  nf)t  act  of- 
ficially upon  them.  Tiiese  letters 
were  (^arrieil  t<i  San  Francisco  hj' 
the  agent,  Slohodchikof,  who  took 
flown  a  small  (;argo  of  goods  to 
trade  for  grain.  I'lie  Russians 
hoped  that  the  trouhle  caused  liy 
the  Viceroy's  orders  would  1)1<)W 
over,  so  that  trade  might  proceed. 
Jt  was  the  company's  policy  to  keep 
affairs  as  i|uiet  as  possilile  at  St. 
l'etersl)Ui'g  and  Madrid,  and  l(itr\ist 
fi)i'  the  •  ermanence  and  prosperity 
of  Rosf-  to  the  revolutionary  cniuli- 
tion  and  C(inse(]neiit  weakness  of 
Mexico.  On  July  •!l)th  Moraga 
made  out  a  full  repurt  on  the  estah- 
lishment  of  Ross,  piirticuL.rly  on 
the  strength  of   its  defenses. 

In  IS].")  .\rgucllo  wroti'  a  jieremp- 
tory  letter  to  Kuskof,  stating  that 
1)V  the  \'icerov"s   ordei-^     the'  settle- 


ment at  Ross  must  l)e  immediately 
ahandoned,  if  frienilly  relations 
were  to  he  maintained  hetvveen 
Russia  and  Spain.  Kuskof's  reply 
was  that  he  could  do  nothing  with- 
out instructions  from  his  superior, 
J}aranof.  Vet  in  August  the  Rus- 
sian vessel  Suvarof,  Captain  Ma- 
karof,  arrived  at  San  Francisco  and 
trade  continued.  Jn  1816  there 
arrived  at  San  Francisco  a  Russian 
vessel,  the  Rniick,  with  a  scientific 
expedition,  under  command  of 
jjieutenant  Otto  \'on  Kotzehue,  and 
Sola  came  u\}  from  Monterey  and 
made  a  con)plaint  concerning  the 
acticms  of  the  Russians  at  Ross. 
Kotzehue  said  he  had  no  authority 
to  act,  hut  consented  to  send  for 
Kuskof.  The  latter  went  to  S.m 
Francisco  and  a  consultation  was 
held  at  the  I'residio,  l)Ut  nothing 
came  of  it,  as  Kuskof  would  do 
nothing.  .\nd  as  the  Spaniards 
knew  that  Ross  was  iinpregi.ahle 
to  any  foi'cc  that  the  ('alifornians 
could  hring  'nst  it,  the  Russians 
were  not  interfered  with. 

The  following  is  a  description  of 
the  settlement  as  it  appeared  at 
this  time:  'i'he  site  of  the  fort, 
eight  miles  northwest  of  the  mouth 
of  Russian  river,  is  ahout  150  yards 
from  the  sea,  on  a  plateau  100  feet 
ahove  the  water,  and  is  so  protected 
hy  ravines  as  to  lie  of  dillicult 
access  toanenemy.  .Ml  ihehuild- 
ings  are  of  redwood.  The  fort  is  a 
(piadrangular  enclosure  of  ahout 
'MM)  hy  2')0  feet,  its  angles  facing 
the  C.ardinal   points.      It    is  formed 


THK    SKAL    INDfsTHY 


tHf 


of  heavy  timbers  cijjlit  iiulics  thick 
iiiul  fifleon  feet  long  set  ui)rif;lit 
ami  hiiried  three  feet  in  the  <;n)un(l, 
leaving  them  twelve  feet  high  and 
Hurniounted  by  a  horizontal  beam 
or  plate,  on  which  are  spiked  thin- 
ner timbers,  three  feet  long  and 
sharpened  at  the  top.  On  the  north 
corner  of  this  inclosure  is  a  hepta- 
gon blockhouse  watch  tower,  solidly 
built  of  timbers  one  foot  thick. 
It  is  twenty-five  feet  in  diameter 
and  two  stories  liigh  and  has  four- 
teen port-holes  for  cannon.  On  tlie 
south  corner  is  an  ociagon  block- 
house watch-tower,  twenty-eight 
feet  in  diameter  and  with  sixteen 
])ort-holes  for  cannon.  There  are 
also  soine  twenty  port-holes  in  the 
stockade.  .Ml  of  these  ])ort-lioles 
when  not  in  use  are  closed  by  a 
block  of  wood  hung  on  heavy 
wrought-iron  hand-made  hinges, 
this  stopper  being  of  the  same  thick- 
ness as  the  wall  and  fastened  on 
the  inside  by  a  heavy  iron  bur. 
On  the  east  corner,  and  just  inside 
of  the  stockade  is  the  chapel,  twen- 
ty-live by  thirty  feet  and  surmount- 
ed by  a  belfry  with  a  chime  of  bells, 
and  a  dome.  Within  the  fort  are 
the  CommandanteV  house,  the  ofli- 
cers'  <inarters,  biirracks  for  the  Rus- 
sian employes  and  various  store- 
houses and  domestic  otlices.  Some 
of  the  buildings  .ire  of  two  stories. 
'i'he  commandante's  house  has  gliiss 
windows,  carpets  and  a  i)iano. 
The  chapel  is  decorated  with  paint- 
ings and  all  present  a  neat  iippear- 
ancc.      .\  well  in  !he  inclosure  sup- 


])liwl  wiiter  for  emergencies  but  ;i. 
well  outside  and  the  creek  furnish- 
ed w.iter  for  ordinary  uses.  Out- 
side the  stockade  are  the  huts  of 
the  Aleuts  and  natives  and  in  the 
immediate  neighborhood  is  a  wind- 
mill for  grinding  grain,  a  tannery, 
wt)rksliops,  farm  buildings,  gran- 
aries, cattle-yards,  etc.  Heyond  is 
the  vegetable  garden,  and  down  at 
the  foot  of  the  cliff  is  a  small  wharf 
and  boat-landing.  Near  by  is  a 
shed  for  the  protection  of  the  bidar- 
kas  or  skin-boats,  another  shed  for 
storing  lumber,  another  for  work 
connected  with  the  building  of  ves- 
sels, ii  blacksmith  shop  and  a  bath 
house.  At  Ikidega  there  are  some 
warehouses  and  at  the  lialf-way 
house  near  the  river  there  is  a  sta- 
tion occupied  like  that  at  Bodega 
b}'  some  servants  of  the  comjiany. 
The  populati<in  of  Ross  averaged 
from  200  to  400.  The  Russians 
were  otlicers,  chiefs  of  liunting 
parties,  and  mechanics.  The  .Vleuts 
were  hunters  and  fishermen.  The 
('iilifcrnia  IndiMiis  were  laborers 
and  servants.  .Vli  were,  when  nec- 
essary, farmers  and  soUliers.  From 
1S12  to  1840  the  Russians  kept  uj) 
an  establishment  at  the  Farallones 
as  well  as  at  Ross.  The  object  was 
to  capture  fur  seals,  I'JDO  to  l.")00 
skins  being  taken  annually  though 
W'inship,  dale,  Suiith  and  other 
.\mericans  had  taken  the  cream  of 
this  we.ilth  a  few  years  earlier. 
After  ISIS  the  seals  diminished 
r;ii>idly  until  only  about.  500  could 
be  caught  annuiiUy.     Still  the  Rus- 


* 


Fnirr    -RDffi    KHOM    A    SKETCH    RY    CII.LKY 


sians  kept  five  or  six  Aleuts  at  tlie 
Islands  to  kill  sea-lions  and  {jjiills 
and  gather  eggs  for  use  at  Iloss  and 
Sitka.  Annually  about  from  5000 
to  50,000  gulls  and  about  200  sea- 
lions  were  killed.  Of  the  latter, 
the  meat  was  salted  for  use,  the 
skins  were  used  for  making  boats 
and  the  bladders  were  ,nade  into 
watertight  sacks,  and  the  blubl)er 
was  tried  out  for  oil,  both  as  food 
and  for  lamps,  as  the  hunt  for  otter 
became  less  and  less  profitable. 
And  a.-5  ol>stacles  interfered  with 
success  in  the  way  of  trade,  the 
agents  of  the  comi)any  turned  their 
attention  more  and  more  to  iiome 
industries  at  Ross.  Agriculture 
was  naturally  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant of  these  industries.  A  con- 
sideral)le  quantity  of  dried  beef, 
leather  and  butter  was  sent  to 
Sitka  after  the  home  wants  were 
suj)plied  and  at  last  the  company 
had  2000  cattle,  1000  horses  and 
1000  sheep  to  sell  with  the  estab- 
lishment. The  first  livestock  was 
obtained  from  the  Californians,  l)Ut 
not  without  difficulty,  as  trade  was 
prohibited.  There  was  scarcely  any 
article  of  wood,  iron  or  leather 
which  the  mechanics  of  Il().ss  could 
not  make  of  a  quality  surticiently 
good  for  the  California  market,  and 
to  the  very  last  they  received  fre- 
quent applications  from  the  Span- 
iards. Several  l)(iats  were  built  for 
tiie  Spanish  oflicers  or  friars.  Tim- 
lier  and  tiles  were  sent  north  and 
south  and  e\en  to  the  Sandwich 
Islands,     i'ine    pitch    was    sent    in 


large  quantities  to  Sitka  in  barrels, 
which,  like  those  used  for  butter 
and  meat,  were  made  at  Ross. 
Four  vessels  of  respectable  di- 
mensions were  built  at  Ross  be- 
fore 1824  and  three  of  them,  the 
Ruldakof,  Volga  and  the  Ki- 
akta,  the  reader  meets  in  southern 
ports., 

CHAPTER  IV. 

In  1821  Kuskof  died  and  was  suc- 
ceeded in  command  by  Karl 
Schmidt.  Schmidt  died  in  1828, 
Jn  1828  Duhant  Cilley,  a  French- 
man who  was  making  a  tour  around 
the  world  in  his  yacht,  arrived  at 
Ross,  lie  made  a  sketch  of  the 
place  as  he  found  it.  He  reported 
finding  here  all  the  luxuries  used 
in  Europe  but  unknown  in  other 
parts  of  California.  He  gave  a  de- 
tailed description  of  the  orchard 
and  the  fpuce  around  it,  etc. 

Vessels  continued  to  arrive  at 
San  Francisco,  two  or  three  a  year, 
from  Ross  and  Sitka,  with  goods  to 
trade  for  grain  and  other  articles 
which  could  be  procured  from  the 
Spaniards.  In  1881  the  Russians 
made  an  attempt  to  extend  their 
agricultural  possessions  south-east- 
erlj'  but  they  desisted  on  account  of 
the  strong  opposition  of  the  Cali- 
fornians.  In  18,S'2  (Jovernor  Figu- 
roM  was  instructed  to  report  in  de- 
tail on  the  force  maintained  by  the 
Russians  and  the  probable  iiUen- 
tions  of  the  strangers.  He  was  also 
ordered  to  establish  settlements  in 
the  north  to  check  farther  encroach- 
ments.    Ill  1.S8.8,  Figuroa  sent  AI- 


WHAN'OKM,  H    AKRIVAL    AT     KO«» 


.9 


M 


feres  Vallejo  to  Ross  to  purchase 
arms,  imiiiitions  ami  clotliiiig  for 
the  Californiaii  sohliers  and  at  the 
same  time  to  secretly  acquaint 
himself  with  the  exact  conilition  of 
affairs.  Vallejo  carried  letters  to 
manager  Kctstromitinoff  and  to 
Wrangell  whom  it  was  thought 
inight  have  arrived.  These  letters 
were  filled  with  expressions  of 
friendship  and  good-will  and  of  a 
desire  for  closer  friendship  and 
commerce    with    those   highly   es- 


trampled  upon  the  laws  of  nations 
and  aimed  at  territorial  encroach- 
ment. WrangoU  was  expected  at 
lloss  to  found  a  new  settlement  at 
.Santa  Rosa,  and  with  the  same 
ohject  in  view  the  desertion  of  the 
neophytes  of  San  Rafael  is  being 
encouraged. 

Wrangell  finally  arrived  at  Ross 
and  employed  Hartnell  as  an  agent 
to  ohtain  cargoes  of  produce  and  if 
possible  to  secure  certain  conces- 
sions in  regard  to  the  payment  of 


Kurt  KfiKs  iu  IvJs,  from  a  skt'tcli  liy  JJiilmnt  <'illey. 


teemed  neighbors,  the  Russians. 
The  manager  of  Ross  was  also 
urged  to  use  his  influence  with  the 
<-'za"  to  promote  <'ie  recognition  of 
Mexican  independence.  Vallejo 
succeeded  iu  purchasing  the  requir- 
ed articles  at  Ross  and  on  March 
oth  made  his  report. 

Two  days  later  Figuroa  wrote  to 
the  national  government  at  Mexico 
■denouncing  those  highly  esteemed 
neighbors   as   intrudere    wlio    liad 


duties.  Wrangell  also  wrote  to 
Figuroa  a  letter  in  which  he  warm- 
ly defended  his  country  against 
the  charges  of  the  English  navigat- 
or, Beechey.  charges  which  he  de- 
clared to  be  without  foundation  to 
the  effect  that  Russians  had  griev- 
ously wronged  the  Californians  by 
killing  otter  illegally',  by  engaging 
in  contraband  trade,  and  even  tak- 
ing 'j.ossession  of  the  Santa  Barba- 
ra islands.     Other   foreigners    had 


% 


10 


WKANORM.  S    KKIITI.RSS   MISSION   TO   MKXICO 


certainly  done  tliese  tilings,  but  the 
Russians  never. 

In  18o()  maiuiger  Kostromitinoff 
was  succeeded  by  Alexiuider  Rot- 
chef.  The  ex-uianager  seems  to 
have  succeeded  Ilartnell  as  agent  of 
the  company  at  Sun  Francisco.  He 
obtained  from  the  (iovernor  of  Cal- 
ifornia a  permission  to  erect  a  ware- 
house for  his  company  on  any  site 
which  he  migiit  select.  With  Cap- 
tain Richardson's  consent  he  decid- 
ed to  build  at  Sausalito.  Hut  before 
any  use  was  made  of  this  concession 
the  deputation  took  up  the  matter 
and  decided  that  the  governor  had 
no  i)ower  to  grant  such  a  privilege, 
and  that  it  was  not  expedient  to 
allow  a  foreign  company  to  secure 
such  a  foothold  in  a  Mexican  \)OTt. 
Accordingly,  in  r'ej>tember,  (iutier- 
res  issued  an  order  that  no  building 
should  be  erected.  Subsequently, 
in  1831>,  Rotchef  petitioned  for  the 
privilege  of  building  a  warehouse 
at  Yerba  Buena,  but  the  conces- 
sion was  not  granted. 

During  this  ))eriod  Sonoma  was 
founded  as  a  pueblo;  and  several 
citizens,  chiefly  foreigners,  were  i)er- 
mitted  to  occupy  ranchos  on  the 
northern  frontier,  all  with  a  view 
to  check  the  apprehended  advance 
of  the  Russians. 

Again,  in  lS3'.t,  Vallejo  warned 
the  Mexican  government  of  danger 
from  the  Russians  which  might  l)e 
averted  only  by  an  increase  of  the 
force  at  Sonoma. 

In  1837  Ross  was  visited  by  Slo- 
cum  and  in  1838  by  jjaplace,  each 


of  whom  published  a  description  of 
the  place.  .Meanwhile  Governor 
Wrangel)  was  very  anixous  to  ac- 
(piire  more  territory  to  tiie  south 
and  east  of  Ross.  He  wished  to 
extend  his  possessions  at  least  to 
San  Francisco  Bay  on  the  south 
and  to  Sacramento  on  the  east,  and 
if  this  was  to  be  done  it  must  be 
done  at  once,  as  the  most  favorable 
time  had  already  passed.  If  this 
territory  should  be  occupied  against 
the  wishes  of  the  Californians  it 
would  not  only  anger  them  but 
would  be  sure  to  meet  with  strong 
opposition  from  foreign  j)owers. 
So  W'rangeir.s  best  plan  was  to  con- 
ciliate the  Californians.  lie  wished 
to  present  farther  and  in  a  stronger 
light,  as  the  Russians  had  been  do- 
ing for  years,  the  danger  of  en- 
croachment by  other  foreigners, 
especially  the  Americans.  Also  the 
marked  contrast  between  the  past 
cona  ict  of  his  people  and  those  of 
other  nations,  and  the  manifest  ad- 
vantage of  preferring  such  friendly 
and  orderly  neighi)ors,  rather  than 
the  horde  of  turbulent  adventurers 
who  were  sure  to  get  i)ossession  of 
the  northern  frontier. 

Wrangell  wished  to  go  to  Mexico 
in  person  to  secure  from  the  author- 
ities of  the  republic  at  once  a  ces- 
sion or  sale  of  the  desired  territory. 
'I'ne  company  having  approved  his 
l)!an  and  agreed  to  pay  for  the 
establishments  of  San  Rafael  and 
Sonoma,  in  case  .Mexico  would  con- 
sent to  cede  the  territory,  the  Baron 
resigned  his  position  as   Governor 


HrAri,i)rN'(i  stauts  kou  san  i<'itA.\('isco 


U 


riplion  of 
(iovei'iior 
us  lo  ac- 
he   HOUth 

viHhed  to 
t  leant  to 
he  south 
east,  aiul 
must  be 
favorable 
,  If  this 
jcl  against 
irniaiis  it 
Llieiii  but 
th  strong 
1  powers, 
•as  to  con- 
le  wished 
a  stronger 
1  been  do- 
er of  en- 
Foreigners, 
Also  the 
I  the  past 
d  those  of 
mifest  ad- 
h  friendly 
ther  than 
Iventurers 
^session  of 

to  Mexico 
he  author- 
)nce  a  ces- 
I  territory, 
proved  liis 
y  for  tiie 
lafael  and 
vould  con- 
the  Haron 
Governor 


of  the  American  Colonies  and  ob- 
tained permission  to  return  to  Rus- 
sia by  way  of  Mexico,  witii  author- 
ity to  represent  the  Colonial  (lov- 
ernnient  in  negotiations  with  the 
Republic  of  Mexico.  With  his  in- 
structions came  a  successor  to 
Wrai.gell  in  the  person  of  Ivan 
Iluprianof  and  tlu;  ex-govornor  sail- 
ed at  once.  After  his  arrival  at 
Mexico  he  with  some  difliculty  ol)- 
tained  an  interview  with  Vice-Pres- 
ident Marragau  and  other  high 
oflicials,  but  he  could  accomplish 
nothing,  as  the  Mexicans  would  not 
entertain  the  lirojiosition  to  cetle 
any  territory  on  any  terms. 

CHAPTKii  V. 

With  the  failure  of  Wrangell's 
mission  the  company  decided  to 
abandon  Ross,  and  they  at  once 
began  to  seek  a  jjurchaser.  At  a 
conference  between  lluprianof  and 
Douglas  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany, a  proposition  was  made  to 
sell  Ross  for  $3(),00().  "Of  course," 
writes  Douglas  in  his  journal,  "they 
cannot  sell  the  soil  but  merely  the 
improvements,  which  we  can  only 
hold  through  a  native."  An  an- 
swer was  to  be  given  in  the  autumn 
after  a  consultation  with  McLaugh- 
lin. Rut  the  English  company  de- 
cided that  the  ])urchase  was  not 
desirable  as  it  would  very  likely 
displease  the  Californians  and 
would  probably  cause  serious  com- 
plications with  the  United  States. 

This  negotiation  having  failed, 
the  comi)any  next  tried  Alverado. 


The  governor  asked  for  farther  in- 
formation as  to  the  nature  of  the 
property  offered  and  made  haste  to 
inform  the  .Mexican  governi-.ient  of 
the  impendir.f^  change  and  a  long 
correspondence  ensued,  but  no  trade 
resulted.  The  American  ship,  i^au- 
sanne.  Captain  .Josiah  8paulding, 
coming  down  from  (-'olumbia  in 
July,  18-10,  believing  Hodega  to  be 
a  free  port,  belonging  to  Russia, 
thought  he  might  land  his  passen- 
gers there  and  perhaps  accom|)lish 
something  in  the  way  of  trade  with- 
out paying  anchorage  dues  or  other 
duties.  Tlie  Russians  had  never 
before  permitted  such  operations 
and  on  this  occasion  it  seems  that 
Rotchef  told  Spaulding  that  he 
must  not  trade  nor  go  by  land  to 
San  Francisco  as  he  had  intended. 
But  ]{otchef  then  went  to  Monterey, 
leaving  the  Lausanne  at  Bodega, 
and  the  captain,  crew  and  passen- 
gers were  free  to  do  as  they  pleased 
as  there  was  no  Russian  guard 
nearer  than  Ross.  So  Spaulding 
also  started  for  San  Francisco  with 
Mcintosh  as  a  guide.  Four  of  the 
passengers  went  to  Sonoma  to  ask 
Vallejo  for  pass-ports  which  should 
enable  them  to  remain  in  the  coun- 
try. Vallejo  was  naturally  startled 
at  the  appearance  of  the  armed  for- 
eigners, with  the  news  that  Bodega 
was  practically  abandoned  by  the 
RussiaTis  and  that  a  foreign  vessel 
was  lying  there  free  from  all  re- 
strictions in  respect  of  contraband 
trade  or  of  landing  passengers.  He 
immediately     despatched     Alferes 


n 


TirK    LAUSANNE   SATt.S   AWAY 


Laziiro  I'iiiii  and  a  guard  of  sol- 
diers to  lUidega  witli  instructions 
to  re-enibark  all  j)t>rsons  who  had 
landed  and  to  enjoin  upon  those  in 
charge  of  the  vessel  to  land  no  goods 
on  ])enalty  of  being  treated  as 
smugglers.  As  Monterey  was  the 
only  port  open  to  foreign  trade, 
i'ina  was  to  remain  at  his  post, 
prevent  all  traflic  and  intercourse, 
keej)  a  strict  watch  and  report. 
Subsequently  he  was  directed  to 
collect  tonnage  dues  on  the  Laus- 
anne at  the  rate  of  $1.50  per  ton. 
Hpaulding,  accompanied  by  several 
persons  from  San  Francisco  who 
were  traveling  without  passi)orts, 
called  at  Sonoma  on  his  way  to  Ho- 
dega.  His  companions  were  not  al- 
lowed to  proceed  and  the  captain  was 
called  upon  to  pay  his  tonnage  dues. 
He  declined  to  do  so  on  the  ground 
that  Bodega  was  a  free  port  belong- 
ing to  Russia;  but  after  discussion 
he  agreed  to  pay  the  demn'  d  if  it 
should  be  declared  lawful  by  the 
proper  authorities.  He  was  then  al- 
lowed to  depart  with  an  order  to 
Pina  to  return  to  Sonoma  as  soon  as 
the  vessel  had  sailed.  As  Spaulding 
had  cited  the  manager  at  Ross  in 
confirmation  of  his  claim  that  Ro- 
dega  was  a  Russian  port,  Vallejo  in- 
structed Pina  to  state  clearly  to  Rot- 
chef  that  Bodega  belonged  to  Mexico 
and  not  to  Russia  though  the  use  of 
it  by  Russian  vessels  had  been  toler- 
ated. That  the  commander  at  Ross 
had  no  control  of  it,  except  by  per- 
mission of  the  Californian  govern- 
ment, that  he  had  no  right  to  find  it 


strange  that  Californian  trooj)s 
were  stationed  there.especially  when 
he  was  in  the  hal)it  of  traveling  in 
the  country  without  a  permit  and 
in  disrespect  of  the  frontier  authori- 
ties; and  of  representing  to  visitors 
that  Bodega  was  a  free  port,  and  of 
taking  the  liberty  to  permit  foreign- 
ers to  enter  the  country  in  defiance 
of  law.  Meanwhile  llotchef  came 
back  from  Monterey  and  was  lilled 
with  wrath  when  he  found  the  sol- 
diers on  guard  and  saw  a  copy 
made  by  a  sul^ordinata,  in  his  ab- 
sence, of  Vallejo's  instructions  to 
I'ina.  He  was  violent  and  insult- 
ing in  his  anger.  He  raised  the 
Russian  flag,  defying  the  Californ- 
ians  to  pull  it  down,  and  offered 
his  protection  to  the  foreign  i»ass- 
engers  who  went  with  him  to  Ross. 
I'ina  made  no  resistance,  but  re- 
ported to  V^iUejo.  The  latter  sent 
a  communication  on  the  ir)atter  to 
Rotchef  and  another  to  be  forward- 
ed to  the  Governor  at  Sitka.  But 
Rotchef  refused  to  receive  the  doc- 
uments. Vallejo  subseijuently  is- 
sued an  order  forbidding  Rotchef 
or  any  of  his  men  to  travel  in  the 
country  without  a  license.  Tlie 
Lausanne  sailed  away  al)out  .luly 
2Gth,  leaving  five  or  six  foreigners 
who  were  aided  by  the  Russians  to 
reach  Sacramento.  Pina  by  Val- 
lejo's  order  did  not  attempt  to  inter- 
fere beyond  warning  Rotchef  that 
he  would  be  held  responsible  for  the 
entrance  of  the  men.  Much  more 
angry  correspondence  followed,  but 
it  is  not  important  at  this  late  day. 


4 

'5? 


JOHN    A.    HITTKU    IMIiCHASKS    TIIK    HKTTI.KM  KNT 


IS 


ifin     ti'oopH 
oially  when 
nivelinn  in 
permit  and 
ier  authori- 
;  to  visitors 
)ort,  and  of 
nit  foreij;n- 
in  defiance 
tchef  came 
I  was  filled 
lul  the  8()1- 
iw    a   copy 
in  his  ah- 
'uctioiis   to 
md  iiiKult- 
raiwed    the 
B  Californ- 
nd  offered 
■eign  ])a8.s- 
ni  to  Ross, 
■e,   hut  re- 
latter  sent 
matter  to 
le  forward- 
itka.     JUit 
6  the  doc- 
[uently  is- 
g   Kotchef 
vel  in  the 
>nse.     The 
l)out  July 
foreigners 
usftians  to 
I   hy  Val- 
)t  to  inter- 
tchef  that 
l)le  for  the 
[uch  more 
lowed,  hut 
3  late  day. 


In  .January,  IS  II,  \'iillcjo  report- 
ed to  till!  minister  of  war  concern- 
ing his  controversy  with  llotclief. 
lie  took  much  credit  to  himself  and 
mentioned  as  a  result  ol  that  con- 
troversy, the  proposed  ah.mdon- 
ment  of  itoss.  The  Russians  had 
consulteil  him  as  to  their  right  to 
sell  to  a  private  person  the  l)uil(l- 
ings  as  well  as  tiie  live-stock,  and 
he  liad  told  them  that  the  mition 
had  the  first  right  and  must  he 
consulted.  The  reason  wiiy  this 
cautious  answer  was  given  was  tli;it 
some  foreigners  from  tiic  ("oluml)ia 
or  elsewhere  might  out'nid  a  citizen 
of  California  anil  thus  rai.se  a  ipies- 
tnin  of  sovereignty  which  might 
prove  trouhlesonie  to  the  Jle.xican 
interests  in  the  future. 

Vallejo  also  urged  the  """ern- 
ment  to  furnish  a  garrison  anil  au- 
thorize tlie  planting  of  a  colony  at 
Ross  upon  its  ahandonment  hy  the 
Russians.  In  Fchruary,  Kostroni- 
itinoff,  representing  the  company, 
offered  to  sell  the  pro[)erty  to  \'al- 
lejo  himself  for  .t;](),()UO,  [layahie 
half  in  cash  or  in  hills  of  the  Hud- 
son Hay  Company  and  half  in 
produce  delivered  at  Yerha  Ruena. 
Tlie  general  was  willing  to  enter- 
tain tlie  proposition  hut  could  not 
make.'  definite  answer  until  .July 
or  August,  as  he  must  have  author- 
ity from  his  government.  When 
the  answer  came  from  Me.\ico  it 
was  not  a  satisfactory  one,  as  the 
^le.xican  government  seemed  to 
think  that  the  Russians  luid  heen 
frightened  away  and  would  leave  a 


iloiu'ishing  settlement  to  lie  taken 
l)ossession  of  hy  the  Oalifornians 
as  soon  as  they  were  g(.ne.  So 
N'allejo  received  some  useless  in- 
structions ahdut  the  details  of  the 
occu|iation  iind  the  form  of  govern- 
ment to  l)e  estahlished  at  Ross. 

fn  .lidy,  Kostromitinoff,  having 
returned  from  Sitka,  an  elaJporato 
inventory  was  n)adeof  the  i)roperty 
offered.  Vallejo  and  .Mverado 
were  again  approached  hut  they 
ahsolulely  declined  to  purchase,  as 
they  had  concluded  that  the  prop- 
erty should  and  would  revert  to 
tlie  ( •alifornians  and  that  no  other 
purchaser  could  he  found.  Alvera- 
do  stated  in  a  letter  that  liis  ordy 
fear  was  that  the  Russians  would 
hurn  the  huildings  rather  than  let 
them  fall  into  the  hands  of  the 
('alifornians.  Hut  there  was  an- 
other purchaser,  John  A.  Sutter. 
The  hargain  was  made  in  Septein- 
lier.  The  formal  contract  was 
signed  hy  Kostromitinoff  and  Sut- 
ter in  the  office  of  the  Subprefect 
at  San  I<'rancisco,  with  Voiget  and 
Leese  as  witnesses,  on  December  18, 
1.S40. 

CHAPTER  vr. 

Hy  the  terms  of  the  contract 
Sutter  was  to  pay  for  the  i)roperty 
B})ecified  in  the  inventory,  .$oO,()00, 
payable  in  installments.  The  es- 
tablishment at  New  Helvetia  (Sac. 
ramento)  and  the  property  at  Bo- 
dega, and  the  two  ranches  of  Khleh- 
nikof  and  Tschernich,  "whicli  prop- 
erty was  to  be  left  intact  in  pos- 
session of  the  company's  agents," 


AN    IWKNTOUY   <IK   TlIK   HKTTI.KMKNT 


were  pliMlfjed  as  miiirnntepH  for  llie 
imynieiit.  Tlie  lUisHiaiiH  niiy  tluit 
tlio  contriiot  wiih  a|)|)rove(l  by  tlio 
Ciiliforniii  jtoveriiiiieiit  and  it  is 
certain  tliat  no  oHicial  disapproval 
was  iiiadt'. 

Sutler  obtaiiKMl  from  manager 
Rotclief  a  certificate  of  transfer  of 
tlie  land,  dated  one  day  earlier 
than  tlie  contract,  in  which  docu- 
ment the  commander  certified  that 
the  coinpiniy  had  held  peaceaiile 
poHsession  for  2i)  years  and  that 
they  had  sold  it  to  M.  Le  Capitaine 
Sutter  for  $30,000  and  had  <lelivere(l 
it  into  his  possession  indisputahly- 
This  document  in  after  years  was 
l)araded  as  Sutter's  Deed  and  was 
made  the  basis  of  a  somewhat 
plausible  claim  to  the  possession  of 
the  land.  Manager  liotchef  with 
all  the  remaining  servants  of  the 
company  sailed  on  the  C'(»nstantine 
which  Isft  San  Francisco  in  Decem- 
ber, 1841,  and  probably  left  Ross 
in  January,  1842.  A  few  Russians 
remained  on  the  ranciios  to  look 
after  the  company's  interest.  Sut- 
ter sent  Roberts  to  look  out  for 
him  at  first,  but  John  Hidwell  took 
liis  place  early  in  1842.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Wm.  Henitz  in  184;j. 

In  the  meantime  most  of  the 
movable  property  and  live-stock 
were  removed  to  New  Helvetia.  A 
few  hundred  cattle  were  left,  as 
they  were  too  wild  to  lie  driven. 
The  t.'alifornians  made  no  effort 
to  occupy  the  place,  for  as  they  had 
virtually  consented  to  the  sale  the 
State  had  nothing  at  Ross  to  pro- 


tect. Fn  181.')  the  Mexican  govern- 
ment granteil  to  .Maiirel  Torres 
four  leagues  of  land  called  the  Mu- 
niz  grant,  including  the  eslalilish- 
ment  of  Hoss.  Torres  sold  the 
grant  to  Win.  I5enitz,  and  Kenitz, 
afterwards,  to  avoid  a  law-suit, 
also  bought  for  ('»,00()  dollnrs  the 
Slitter  or  llussian  title. 

The  inventory  by  which  the 
jiroperty  was  sold  to  Sutter  includes 
the  following:  A  sipiare  fort  of  logs 
lOSS  feet  in  circuniference,  twelve 
feet  liigh  with  two  watch-towers,  a 
lioiise  of  s<niared  logs,  'M't  by  .')8  feet, 
double  board  roof,  six  rooms  with 
corridor  and  kitchen.  .Vnother 
block  house  24  by  48  feet  with  six 
rooms  and  corridor.  House  for 
revenue  otiicers,  22  by  (iO  feet,  ten 
rooms;  barracks  24  by  (5(1  feet,  eight 
rooms;  three  warehouses,  kitchen, 
jail,  chapel  with  a  belfry  and  dome. 
Outsideof  the  fort,  blacksniith-shoj), 
tannery,  boat-house,  coojier's  shop, 
bakery,  carpenter's  shop,  two  wind- 
mills for  grinding,  one  mill  nu.ved 
by  animal  power,  three  threshing 
floors,  a  well,  stable,  sheep-cole, 
dairy-house,  two  cow  stables,  hog- 
])en,  corral,  ten  sheds,  eight  baths, 
ten  kitchens,  24  houses,  nearly 
every  one  having  an  orchard.  At 
Kostromitiiioff  ranclio,  house,  farm 
buildings,  corral  and  boat  for  cross- 
ing the  river  Slavianka  (Russian); 
at  Khebnikof  rancho,  adobe  house, 
farm  buildings,  bath,  well,  corral. 
At  Jorges  rancho  (Russian  tJulch), 
house,  stores,  fences,  etc.  At  Hudega, 
warehouse   30    bv    (JO    feet;    three 


A     I'lni.dSOI'llir     I'liKAllSK    ON    Ol   II     KKDWOI  ID    lOKKHTS 


small  hoiiHCH,  liatli,  ovciih  and  cor- 
ruJM. 

Tlin  iniicliasc  also  iiicliidcd  tlu' 
sclioniicr  (Idiistaiitiiif,  wliii'li  was 
rechriHteni'd  tlieHacrariieiito.  ThiH 
veHHel  made  fn'(|iit'i)t  trip.-i  bctwfen 
UosH,  Hddcira  and  Sacraiiieiito,  tak- 
ing from  RdHH  to  Saciamcntd  all  tlit> 
iridval)le  property  lioiinlit  liy  Sutter 
which  Cduld  he  utilized.  Kveu  sev- 
eral df  the  newest  iiouses  were  taken 
down  and  moved.  The  one  eannon 
left  at  l{(iHH  wuH  taken  to  Saera- 
mentd  and  was  finally  donated  hy 
Sutter  to  the  California  pioneers. 
About  4,()()()  head  of  eat  tie,  liorses 
andsheej)  weredriven  overland,  and 
one  old  Indian  vviio  assisted  in  the 
driving  is  still  to  be  seen  oceasion- 
ully  lit  HosH.  Hose,  as  it  was  called 
by  the  Russians,  was  always  called 
by  the  Spaniards  Kl  Fuerte  de  Los 
liusos  or  Fuerte  Huso,  and  by  the 
Americans  who  afterwards  settled 
in  California  Fort  Koss,  and  as 
this  old  settlement  is  a  place  of 
nnich  interest  and  is  annually  •, is- 
ited  by  hundreds  of  people  from 
all  parts  of  the  country,  it  may  lie 
interesting  to  give  a  brief  account 
of  it  as  it  is  at  present,  1896. 

The  property  is  now  owned  by 
(i.  W.  Call,  who  does  what  he  can 
to  pre.serve  the  old  buildings  and 
does  carefully  keep  all  old  relics 
which  are  not  perishable.  The 
chapel  stands  perfectly  erect  with 
theorij'nal  roof,  doors  and  win- 
dows intact.  During  all  these  83 
years  the   little   belfry    and   dome 


have  stood  bravely  facing  the 
heavy  winter  stormw.  'I'he  stock- 
ade is  nidstly  gone,  as  the  timl)erH 
were  not  selected  but  were  evident- 
ly made  of  young  timber  with  saj) 
on.  'J'he  watch  towers  are  badly 
decayed  on  the  southerly  or  stitrm 
side  but  are  sound  on  the  north 
side.  Tlie  governor's  house  is  in  a 
gddd  state  of  preservatidu  because 
it  has  had  a  new  roof  and  has  been 
weatherboarded  outside.  It  is  now 
used  as  a  hotel.  The  barracks 
building  is  in  a  fair  state  of  preser- 
vation. These  old  buildings,  with 
haif-a-ddzen  new  buildiiigs,  a 
wharf  and  a  chute  at  the  landing 
and  two  dairies  constitute  the  pres- 
ent settlement  of  Fort  Koss.  One 
millstone  made  from  native  stone 
renniins  intact.  Of  the  original 
apple-trees  some  ')(!  are  still  alive 
and  bear  apples  every  year.  A 
portion  of  the  original  fence  still 
stands  and  does  duty  just  as  it  did 
wnen  described  by  Duhant  Cilley 
in  1828.  A  jiaintnig  cofjied  from 
the  sketch  made  by  Cilley  has  also 
been  iirescrved  and  in  the  hotel 
may  still  be  seen  in  service  an  old 
j)iano  made  by  Hord  in  laris  about 
1820.  In  a  little  valley  where  the 
Uussians  cut  away  all  tiie  trees 
has  grown  a  forest  of  redwood  and 
pine  trees,  some  of  them  over  five 
feet  in  diameter.  The  pines  have 
evidently  grown  from  seed,  but  all 
the  redwt)()ds  are  sprouts  sprung 
from  the  stumps  of  the  trees  cut 
down.  This  second-growth  forest 
proves   conclusively   that   all    the 


i 


in 


SIR    GEORGE    PUfPSON'a    ACCOUNT    OF    ROSS 


m\ 


Californians  have  to  do  to  perpetu- 
ate the  redwood  forests  is  to  give 
them  a  cliance.  The  Russian  l)isli- 
op,  Vladimir,  a  few  years  ago,  vis- 
ited Fort  Koss  and  made  a  propo- 
sition tc  ))urc'liase  the  old  cluipel, 
with  a  few  acres  of  ground,  includ- 
ing the  Russian  cemetery,  with  a 
view  of  preserving  them.  ]kit  as 
Vladimir  was  recalled  the  negotia- 
tion was  not  consummated. 

CHAPTER   VI T. 

We  have  given  in  tlie  preceding 
chapters  a  consecutive  and  concise 
history  of  the  Russian  ^<ettlemeut 
at  Ross.  Home  contemporary  ac- 
counts of  this  interesting  event 
which  have  appeared  from  time  to 
time  written  by  those  who  describ- 
ed their  visits  to  the  settlement 
will  now  he  given. 

Among  the  most  interesting  ac- 
counts of  Ross  is  that  of  Sir  (ieorge 
Simpson,  governor-in-chief  of  the 
Hudson  Hay  Company,  who  came 
to  California  in  1841,  and  after- 
wards puldished  a  most  interesting 
narrative  of  his  voyage. 

Governor  Simj)son  evidently 
came  to  California  witli  tlie  view  of 
seeing  if  there  was  any  way  of  ac- 
(puring  possession  of  the  country 
for  the  English  government.  He 
visited  General  \'allejo  at  Sonoma 
and  received  no  enccturagement 
from  that  true  and  h-yal  friend  of 
the  United  States.  However,  he 
gives  a  veiy  spris^htly  account  of 
his  visit  and  we  reproduce  that 
portion  which    efers  to  Ross.     On 


approaching  tlie  coast  of  California 
the  governor  says: 

"In  the  course  of  the  morning, 
we  passed  Bodega  and  Ross,  respec- 
tively the  harhor  and  the  fort  of 
the  Russian  American  Com|)any. 
That  association,  which  asssumed 
its  present  form  towards  the  close 
of  the  last  century,  under  the  pat- 
ronage of  the  Emperor  Paul,  could 
not  find  any  native  BUi)ply  of 
bread-stuffs  nearer  than  the  central 
steppes  of  Asia,  to  be  transjiorted 
thence  t)ver  about  a  hundreil  anJ 
twenty  degrees  of  longitude  and 
thirty  of  latitude,  by  barges  from 
the  head  of  the  Sena  to  Yakutsk, 
on  horses  from  Yakutsk  to  Ochotsk, 
and  in  ships  from  Ochotsk  to  Sitka. 
So  expensive  and  tedious  a  loute 
operating  almost  as  a  jiroliibition, 
the  Company's  establishments 
were,  ot  course,  very  inadcju.itely 
suj>iilied  with  that  which,  to  a.  Itus- 
sian,  is  i)eculiarly  the  staff  of  life, 
so  that  a  design  was  naturally 
formed  of  planting  an  agricultural 
settlement  on  the  adjacent  coant  of 
America. 

"With  this  view,  in  March,  bSOti, 
-  the  verv  month,  bv  ti'.e  bv,  in 
which  Lewis  and  Clarke  left  th.Mr 
winter's  encampment  of  Clatsop 
Point  to  retrace  their  steps  across 
the  continent — Von  Resanoff,  who 
was  then  the  tJonqiany's  principal 
rei)re,«entative,  attempted  to  enter 
the  Columbia,  but  was  baliled  in 
the  atteln^.t  by  the  same  circum- 
stances whicli  li.ad  so  long  retarded 
the  discovery  of   the  river.      Eiglit 


1 


THE   KARLY  9EA-0TTEB   INDI'STRY 


17 


years  afterwards,  however,  the  ex- 
tensive and  beautiful  valley  of 
Santa  Rosa,  which  open«;  into  Bo- 
dega Baj,  was  actually  occupied 
— Spain  being  too  busy  elsewhere 
with  more  serious  evils  to  repel  the 
intrusion. 

As  compared  with  the  Columbia, 
California,  besides  its  great  fertility 
and  its  easier  access,  possessed  the 


sea-otters,  besides  a  large  supply  of 
fur-seals,  having  thereby  so  far 
diminished  the  breeds  as  to  throw 
nearly  all  the  expense  of  their  es- 
tablishments on  the  agricultural 
branch  of  the  business — an  expense 
far  exceeding  the  mere  cost  of  pro- 
duction, with  a  reasonable  freight. 
The  Californian  settlement  required 
ships    exclusively   for   itself;   and, 


I'nrl  Kiiss  ill  isin,  liKikinsf  imrllu'iist  ircini  hint!'. 


additional  recommendation  of  lit- 
erally teeming  with  sea-otters,  thus 
s(H'Uring  to  the  Company  an  inci- 
dental ailvantage,  more  iiiiport.mt, 
perhaps,  in  a  pecuniary  sense,  than 
the  jiriniary  ol)ject  of  juirsuit. 
Sinci'  1814,  the  Russians  have  sent 
to  market  from  California  the  enor- 
mous number  of  eighty   thousand 


though  the  Russians  had  so  far 
conciliated  ihe  local  authorities  as 
to  lie  permitted  to  hunt  both  on  the 
coast  and  in  the  interior,  they  were 
yet  obliged,  by  tiie  undisguised 
jealousy  and  dislike  of  their  pres- 
ence, constantly  to  mainuiin  a  mil- 
itary attitude,  with  strong  fortifi- 
cations and  considerable  garrisons. 


:k>T:< 


'M 


!m[. 


M 


18 


AN    EXTUAf'T    FROM    GOVKRNOU    SIMPSON  S    WORK 


m 


"That  the  Russians  ever  actually 
intended  to  claim  the  sovereignty 
of  this  part  of  the  coast,  1  do  not 
believe.  The  term  Ross  was  cer- 
tainly BUS])icious,  as  being  the  con- 
stant appellation  of  the  ever-vary- 
ing phases  of  Russia  from  the  days 
of  Ruric,  the  verj'  name  under 
which,  nearly  ten  centuries  ago,  the 
red-bearued  dwellers  on  the  Horys- 
thenes,  who  have  since  spread 
themselves  with  resistless  i)ertinac- 
ity  over  more  than  two  hundred 
degrees  of  longitude,  carried  terror 
;'.nd  desolation  in  their  crazy  boats 
to  the  gates  of  Constantinople,  a 
city  destine-  alike  to  be  their  ear- 
liest quarry  and  their  latest  prey. 
So  expansive  a  monosyllable  could 
hardly  be  a  welcome  neighbor  to 
powers  so  feeble  and  jealous  as 
Hpain  and  Mexico. 

"In  justice,  however,  to  Russia,  I. 
have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that, 
under  the  recognized  j)rincip!e.-i  of 
colonization,  she  is  fully  entitled  to 
all  that  she  holds  in  America.  As 
early  as  1741,  Meeririg  and  Tschiri- 
koff  had  visited  the  continent  res- 
I)ectively  in  o9  and  ")(;  ,  alidut  a 
degree  aliove  Sitka,  and  about  a 
degree  V)elow  it — the  fornier,  more- 
over, seeing  many  islands,  and  per- 
hajis  the  ])eninsu]a  of  Alaska,  on 
his  return;  and,  by  the  year  17().'], 
private  adventurers  had  explored 
the  whole  width  of  the  ocean,  dis- 
covering the  intermediate  chain  of 
islands,  from  the  scene  of  Reering's 
sliipwreck,  in  the  vicinity  of  Kam- 
Bchatka,  to  .\liiska,  tlien  errone.)Us- 


ly  su])po8ed  tc  be  an  island,  and 
thence  still  further  eastward  to 
Kodyak — no  other  nation  having 
previously  penetrated,  or  even  pr  j- 
tended  to  have  penetrated,  farther 
north  than  the  j.arallel  of  lifty- 
three  degrees. 

"Rut  the  Russian  discoveries 
were  distinguished  by  this  favor- 
al)le  peculiarity,  that  they  were,  in 
a  great  measure,  achieved  inde- 
pendently of  the  more  southerly 
discoveries  of  Spain,  being  the  re- 
sult of  rumors  of  a  neighboring 
continent,  which,  in  the  beginning 
of  the  century,  the  Russian  con(|- 
uerors  had  found  to  be  rife  in  Kam- 
schatka.  Moreover,  in  the  case  of 
the  Russians,  discovery  and  posses- 
sion had  advanced  hand  in  hand. 
The  settlement  of  Kodyak  was 
formed  four  years  before  Meares 
erected  his  solitary  shed  in  Nootka 
Sound;  and  Sitka  was  established 
fully  ten  or  twelve  years  earlier 
than  Astoria." 

(Jovernor  Simpson  says  on  page 
28.'^,  vol.  1,  of  liis  interesting  work: 

"On  emerging  from  the  strait, 
which  is  about  three  miles  long, 
we  saw  on  our  left,  in  a  deep  l)ay, 
known  as  Whalers'  Harbor,  two 
vessels,—  the  (Government  schooner 
t'alifornia  and  the  Russian  brig 
Constantine,  now  bound  to  Sitka, 
with  the  last  of  the  tenants  of  Ho- 
dega  and  Ross  on  board.  As  we 
observed  the  Russians  getting 
under  way,  I  despatched  Mr.  Hop- 
kins in  one  of  our  lioals,  in  or<l<'r 
to  express  my  regret  at   licing  tlms 


TIIR    ROMANCE   OF   DflNNA    CONCEPTION'   AnGUEIJ.A 


19 


land,  and 
4ward  to 
in  liaving 
even  ])r«3- 
■d,  farther 
of   lifty- 

liscoveries 
Ills  favor- 
y  were,  in 
i-ed  inde- 
southerly 
ng  the  re- 
'igliboring 
l)eginning 
lian  con(|- 
e  in  Kain- 
le  case  of 
lid  posscs- 
in  hand, 
yak  was 
'  Meares 
n  Nootka 
aalilishcd 
rs   earlier 

on  page 
ng  work: 
le  utrait, 
h's  long, 
jeep  liiiy, 
lior,  two 
schooner 
ian  hrig 
to  Sitka, 
ts  of  lio- 
As  we 
getting 
Ir.  Ho))- 
in  order 
ing   tlnis 


deprived  of  the  anticipated  pleas- 
ure of  paying  my  respects  in  per- 
son. 

"Mr.  Hopkins  found  about  a 
hundred  souls,  men,  women  and 
children,  all  patriotically  delighted 
to  rixchange  the  lovely  climate  o' 
('alifornia  for  the  ungenial  skies  rf 
Sitka,  and  that  too  at  the  expense 
of  making  a  long  voj'age  in  an  old, 
crazj',  clumsy  tub,  at  the  stormiest 
season  of  the  year;  but  to  this  gen- 
eral rule  there  had  been  one  excep- 
tion, inasmuch  as  they  had  lost 
two  days  in  waiting — but,  alas!  in 
vain — for  a  young  woman,  who 
liad  abjured  alike  her  country  and 
her  Imsband  for  the  sake  of  one  of 
the  dons  of  San  Francisco. 

"Mr.  llojjkins  farther  learned 
that,  though  it  was  Tliursday  with 
us,  yel  it  was  Friday  with  our  nor- 
thern friends;  a  circumstance 
wliicli,  besides  showing  that  the 
Russians  liaii  not  the  superstition 
of  our  tars  as  to  days  of  sailing, 
forcibly  reminded  us  tl'.at  between 
them  the  two  parties  had  jjassed 
round  the  globe  in  opposite  direc- 
tions to  i)rosecute  one  and  the  same 
trade  in  furs,  which  the  indolent 
inhal)itants  of  the  province  were 
too  lazy  to  appropriate  at  their 
very  doors."' 

liater  on  he  went  to  Santa  Bar- 
bara and  in  connection  with  liis 
visit  there  relates  the  following 
interesting  incident  in  regard  to 
lloss.     He  says: 

"Among  the  perstms  we  met  in 
Santa  liarbara,  was  a  lady  of  some 


liistorical  celebrity.  Von  Resanoff, 
having  failed,  as  elsewhere  stated, 
in  his  attempt  to  enter  the  Colum- 
bia in  180(5,  continued  his  voyage 
as  far  as  San  Francisco,  where,  be- 
sides p'.'  chasing  immediate  sup- 
plies for  Sitka,  he  endeavored,  in 
negotiation  with  the  commandant 
of  the  district  and  the  governor  of 
tlie  ])rovince,  to  lay  the  foundation 
of  a  regular  intercourse  between 
lUissian  America  and  the  Californ- 
ian  settlements.  In  order  to  ce- 
ment the  national  union,  he  pro- 
posed uniting  himself  with  Donna 
Conception  Arguella,  one  of  the 
commandant's  daughters,  his  pat- 
riotism clearly  being  its  own 
reward  if  half  of  Langsdorff 's  des- 
cription was  correct:  '  She  was 
lively  and  animated,  had  snark- 
11  ng,  love-insjiiring  eyes,  beautiful 
teeth,  pleasing  and  exjjressive  fea- 
tures, a  line  form,  and  a  thousand 
otiier  charms;  yet  her  manners 
were  perfectly  simple  and  artless.' 
"The  chancellor,  who  was  him- 
self of  tiie  (ireek  ("hurch,  regarded 
the  difference  of  religion  w-ith  the 
eyes  of  a  lover  and  a  ])olitician; 
but,  as  his  imperial  master  might 
take  a  kvs  liberal  view  of  the  mat- 
ter, he  posted  away  to  St.  Peters- 
burgh  with  the  intention,  if  he 
should  there  be  successful,  of  sul).«e- 
quenlly  visiting  Madrid,  for  the 
requisite  authority  to  carry  his 
schemes  into  full  effect,  liut  the 
Fates,  with  a  voice  more  powerful 
tlian  that  of  emperors  and  kings, 
forbiide  the  Imns,  iind    \'on    IJesa- 


THE   GOVEHNOR-GRNKUAL's    CONCLUSIONS 


noff  died,  on  his  road  to  Europe,  <at 
Kraysnoyarsk  in  Hiberia  of  a  fall 
from  his  horse. 

"Thus  at  once  bereaved  of  her 
lover,  and  disappointed  in  her 
hope  of  becoming  a  pledge  of  friend- 
ship between  Russia  and  Spain, 
.  Donna  Conception  assumed  the 
habit,  but  not,  I  believe,  the  formal 
vows,  of  a  nun,  dedicating  her  life 
to  the  instruction  of  the  young  and 
the  consolation  of  the  sick.  This 
little  romance  cjuld  not  fail  to 
interest  us;  and,  notwithstanding 
the  ungracefulness  of  her  convent- 
ual costume  and  the  ravages  of  an 
interval  of  time,  which  had  tripled 
her  years,  we  could  still  discover 
in  her  face  and  figure,  in  her  man- 
ners and  conversation,  the  remains 
of  those  charms  which  had  won  for 
the  youthful  beauty  Von  Resanoff's 
entlnisiastic  love  and  I>angsdorff's 
equally  enthusiastic  admiration. 
Though  Doinia  Conception  appar- 
ently ioved  to  dwell  on  the  story  of 
her  blighted  affections,  yet,  strange 
to  say,  she  knew  not,  till  we  men- 
tioned it  to  her,  the  immediate 
cause  of  the  chancellor's  sudden 
death.  This  circumstance  might, 
in  some  measure,  be  explained  by 
the  fact,  that  Langsdorff's  work 
was  not  {)ublished  before  1814:  but 
even  then,  in  any  other  country 
than  California,  a  lady,  who  was 
still  young,  would  surely  have  seen 
a  book,  which,  besides  detailing  the 
grand  incident  of  her  life,  i)resent<'d 
so  gratifying  a  portrait  of  her 
charms.'' 


We  will  close  these  extracts  with 
the  conclusion  that  the  astute,  if 
not  brilliant,  governor-general  was 
forced  to  reach  after  he  had  fully 
felt  the  pulse  of  the  situation  in 
California. 

He  says: 

"Now,  for  fostering  and  matur- 
ing Brother  Jonathan's  ambitious 
views.  Captain  .Sutter's  establish- 
ment is  admirably  situated.  Be- 
sides lying  on  the  direct  route  be- 
tween San  Francisco,  on  the  one 
hand,  and  the  Missouri  and  the 
Willamette,  on  the  other,  it  virtu- 
ally excludes  the  (Jalifornians  from 
all  the  best  parts  of  their  own 
country,  the  valleys  of  the  San 
Joa(iuin,  the  Sacramento,  and  the 
Colorado.  Hitherto,  the  Spaniards 
have  confined  themselves  to  the 
comparatively  barren  strip  of  land, 
varying  from  ten  to  forty  miles  in 
width,  which  lies  V)etween  the  ocean 
and  the  first  range  of  mountains; 
and  beyond  this  slip  they  will  never 
penetrate  with  their  present  char- 
acter and  their  present  force,  if 
Captain  Sutter,  or  any  other  ad- 
venturer, can  gather  round  iiim  a 
score  of  such  marksmen  as  won 
Texas  on  the  field  of  San  .Jacinto. 
Ikit  this  is  not  all;  for  the  Ameri- 
cans, if  masters  of  the  interior,  vvill 
soon  discover  that  they  have  a  nat- 
ural right  to  a  maratime  outlet;  so 
that,  whatever  may  be  the  fate  of 
Monterey  and  the  more  southerl)' 
ports,  San  PVancisco  will,  to  a 
moral  certainty,  sooner  or  late^r, 
fall   into  the  possession  of   Anieri- 


TIIK    .TOI-l{\EY    OF    OTTO    VON'    KOTZEnUE 


cans — the  onl}'  possible  mode  of 
preventing  sncli  a  result  being  the 
l)revious  occupation  of  the  port  on 
the  j)art  of  Great  Britain." 

Sir  George  saw  very  clearly  in 
the  above  forecast,  for,  six  years 
after,  the  Americans  took  j)()sses8- 
ion  not  only  of  the  Fort  of  San 
Francisco  but  also  of  the  entire 
province  of  California. 

CHAPTER  VUr. 

The  following  account  of  a  j<nir- 
ney  made  by  the  distinguished  Otto 
Von  Kotzebue  in  1S24  from  >San  Ra- 
fael to  Ross  by  hind  cannot  fail  to 
interest.  The  journey  was  made  in 
the  beautiful  month  of  .September. 

Captain  \^on  Kotzebue  was  a 
sailor,  a  scientist  and  a  man  of 
acute  sensibility— -a  splenc^'d  type 
of  the  aggressive  Russian.  One 
may  read  in  this  account  between 
the  lines  a  forecast  of  the  ambition 
and  love  of  country  which  since  the 
time  of  the  events  described  has 
so  extended  the  territory,  tlie  wealth 
and  the  p(  A-er  of  Russia. 

It  is  also  an  interesling  fact  that 
Dr.  Eschscholtz,  for  whom  our 
State  poppy  flower  was  named,  ac- 
companied his  chief  on  the  journey. 
They  had  both  been  previously  on 
the  coast  on  a  formei  voyage  and 
had  reached  Ross  from  the  sea  side 
of  the  fort.  On  tha :  voyage  was 
Adeil)ert  Von  Chamisso,  the 
botanist,  and  lie  had  then  given 
the  name  of  iiis  sliipiuate  and 
friend,  Dr.  iOschsciu  itz,  to  this 
most  brilliant  and  conspicuous  of 
all    the   t!alifornia    flowers,    which 


prophetically  uplifted  a  cup  of  gold 
to  the  future  owners  of  California, 
which  the  Russians  then  hoped  to 
be. 

But  that  very  year,  though  Von 
Kotzebue  did  not  then  know  it, 
Minister  Rush  had  concluded  a 
treaty  in  London  with  Russia,  un- 
der which  tJajjtain  Von  Kotzebue's 
imperial  nnister  had  agreed  to  make 
no  settlement  on  the  northwest 
coast  of  America  south  of  54:40 
north  latitude.  This  was  really 
the  first  step  in  the  ac(juisition  of 
'''alifornia  by  the  United  States. 
It  shut  out  all  Russian  pretensions, 
and  Russia  was  the  only  coantry 
be;;i(les  the  United  States  which 
could  i|uicklj'  occupy  the  country 
by  actual  colonization. 

\Y\th  a  word  of  encouragement 
from  the  home  government  all  of 
California  north  of  San  Francisco 
would  have  been  Russian  long  be- 
fore 184i').  The  word  never  came. 
The  treaty  of  18-24  had  settled  the 
question.  Hut  this  was  not  known 
to  Von  Kotzebue,  as,  with  his  geni- 
al and  brilliant  conferee.  Dr.  Esch- 
scholtz, he  followed  his  guide  Mar- 
co along  the  beautiful  shore  of  the 
bay,  speculating  upon  its  value  to 
his  country,  past  the  Olompali 
(now  Hurdell's  station),  up  the  San 
.\ntonio  and  through  Two  Rock 
valley  to  Bodega.  The  trail  passed 
dirocaly  between  the  two  split  rocks 
which  later  on  gave  its  name  to  the 
Twt)  Rock  country.  What  a  splen- 
did waste  it  was  in  those  warm 
September    days  ?     The    fat    deer 


11 


iii 


DR.    ESCHSCHOI.Z    A    COMPANION    OX    THK    JOUKNEY 


moved  reluctantly  from  their  path. 
The  elk  were  scattered  like  cattle 
over  the  hills.  The  coyote  sere- 
naded them  at  night,  and  the 
dreamy  landscape,  golden  and  green 
with  grass  and  trees  lay  hefore  the 
travelers  just  as  it  was  shaped  and 
colored  by  Nature's  all-perfecting 
hand— well  might  it  stir  the  sensi- 
tive heart  and  hand  of  a  Von  Kot- 
zebue.  His  account  of  the  land 
journey  to  Ross  is  as  follows: 

"  Indispensable  business  now 
summoned  me  to  the  establishment 
of  the  Russian-American  Company 
called  Ross,  which  lies  about  eighty 
miles  north  of  San  Francisco.  J 
had  for  some  time  been  desirous  of 
performing  the  journey  by  land, 
but  the  difficulties  had  appeared 
insurmountable.  Without  the  as- 
sistance of  the  commandant,  it  cer- 
tainly could  not  have  been  accom- 
plished; I  was  therefore  glad  to 
avail  myself  of  his  friendly  dispos- 
ition towards  me  to  make  the  at- 
tempt. We  required  a  number  of 
horses  and  a  military  escort;  the 
latter  to  serve  us  at  oi.ce  as  guides, 
and  as  a  protection  against  the  sav- 
ages. Roth  these  re(|Uests  were 
immediately  gratited;  and  Don 
Estudillo  himself  offered  to  com- 
mand the  escort. 

"  My  companions  on  this  journey 
were  Dr.  Eschscholz,  Mr.  Huffman, 
two  of  my  officers,  two  sailors,  Don 
Estudillo,  and  four  dragoons,  mak- 
ing altogether  a  party  of  twelve. 
On  the  evening  previous  to  the  day 
for  our  departure,   Kstudillo   came 


to  the  ship  with  his  four  dragoons, 
the  latter  well  armed,  and  accoutr- 
ed in  a  panoply  of  leather.  He 
himself,  in  the  old  Spanish  cos- 
tume, with  a  heavy  sword,  still 
heavier  spurs, a  dagger  and  pistols 
in  his  belt,  and  a  staff  in  his  hand, 
was  a  good  personification  of  an 
adventurer  of  the  olden  time.  He 
assured  us  tliat  we  could  not  be  too 
cautious,  since  we  should  pass 
through  a  part  of  the  country  in- 
^••ibited  by  "  /o-s  Induntns  hrarns  ;  " 
,ve  therefore  also  made  a  plentiful 
provision  of  arms,  and  were  ready, 
as  soon  as  the  first  beams  of  morn- 
ing glimmeretl  on  the  tops  of  the 
mountains,  to  set  forward  in  our 
barcasse  for  the  mission  of  St. 
Rafael,  lying  on  the  northern  shore 
of  the  bay,  whence  our  land  journey 
was  to  commence. 

"The  weather  was  beautiful,  the 
wind  i)erfectly  still,  and  tlie  air 
enchantingly  mild.  An  Indian 
named  Marco,  whom  Estudillo  had 
with  him,  served  us  as  a  pilot; 
for  the  Spaniards  here,  incapable, 
either  through  indolence  or  ignor- 
ance, of  discharging  that  office, 
always  employ  an  experienced  In- 
dian at  the  helm. 

"  Don  Estudillo,  alth.  .igh  ad- 
vanced in  life,  was  a  very  cheerful 
conipanion,  and  one  of  tlie  most 
enlightened  Spaniards  I  have  met 
with  in  California.  He  piqued  him- 
self a  little  on  his  literary  accpiire- 
ments,  and  mentioned  having  read 
three  books  besides  Don  (iui.xote 
and  (lil  Bias,  whilst,  as  he  assured 


VON    KOTZEHrKV    OPINION    OF    HAN    FRANC18C0    nAY 


23 


rae  in  confidence,  the  rest  of  liis 
countrymen  here  had  hardly  ever 
seen  any  other  book  than  tlie  liihle. 
Marco  had  grown  grey  in  the  mis- 
sion; on  account  of  liis  usefulness, 
he  had  been  in  many  respects  better 
treated  than  most  of  the  Indians: 
he  spoke  Spanish  with  tolerable 
fluency;  and  when  Kstudillo  en- 
deavored to  exercise  his  wit  upon 
him,  often  embarrassed  him  not  a 
little  by  his  repartees.  This  Marco 
affords  a  proof  that,  under  favor- 
able circumstances,  the  minds  even 
of.j.the  Indians  of  California  are 
susceptible  of  improvement;  hut 
these  examples  are  rare  in  the  mis- 
sions. 

"I  confess  I  could  not  help  spec- 
ulating upon  the  l)enefit  this  coun- 
try would  derive  from  becoming  a 
province  of  our  powerful  empire, 
and  how  useful  it  would  prove  to 
Russia.  ,\n  inexhaustible  granary 
for  Kamtschatka,  Ochotsk,  and  all 
the  settlements  of  the  American 
Company;  these  regions,  so  often 
atHicted  with  a  scarcity  of  corn, 
would  derive  new  life  from  a  close 
connection  with  California. 

The  sun  rose  in  full  magnificence 
from  behind  the  mountain,  at  the 
moment  when,  emerging  from  be- 
tween the  islands  which  divide  the 
northern  from  the  southt-i  n  half  of 
the  bay,  an  extensive  mirror  of 
water  opened  upon  our  view.  The 
mission  of  San  Uafael,  the  first 
stage  of  our  jonrnt-y,  formed  a  dis- 
tinguished object  in  the  background 
of  the  prospect,  sloping  up  the  sides 


of  the  hills,  the  intervening  flat 
land  lying  so  low  that  it  was  not 
yet  within  our  liorizon.  We  had 
also  a  distant  view  towards  the 
northwest  of  another  newly-founded 
mission,  that  of  St.  Francisco  Sala- 
no  (Sonoma),  the  only  one  situated 
on  the  northern  shore  of  the  bay 
except  San  Rafael. 

"The  country  at  this  side  of  the 
bay,  chiefly  characterised  by  gently 
swelling  hills,  the  park-like  group- 
ing of  the  trees,  and  the  lively  ver- 
dure of  the  meadows,  is  as  agreeable 
to  the  eye  as  that  of  the  southern 
coast.  The  water  is  pure  and 
wholesome,  which  that  at  the  Pre- 
sidio is  not;  we  therefore  laid  in 
our  ship's  store  here. 

"The  whole  Bay  of  St.  Francisco, 
in  which  thousands  of  ships  might 
lie  at  anchor,  is  formed  by  nature 
for  an  excellent  harl)or;  but  the 
little  creeks  about  the  northwest 
coast,  now  lying  to  our  left,  and 
which  I  have  since  frequently  visit- 
ed, are  especially  advantageous  for 
repairs,  being  so  deep  that  the  larg- 
est vessels  can  lie  conveniently 
close  to  the  land;  and  an  abun- 
dance of  the  finest  wood  for  ship- 
building, even  for  the  tallest  masts, 
is  found  in  the  immediate  neigh- 
borhood. Tiie  whole  of  the  north- 
ern part  of  tiie  bay,  which  does  not 
|)roper]y  l)elong  to  California,  but 
is  assigned  by  geographers  to  New 
Albion,  has  hitherto  remained  un- 
visited  by  voyagers,  and  little 
known  even  to  the  Spaniards  resid- 
ing   in    the    country.     Two    large 


^J, 


THE    AUIIIVAI.    AT    ST.    UAKAKI, 


navigable  rivers,  which  I  afterwards 
surveyed,  empty  themselves  into  it. 
one  from  the  nortli,  the  other  from 
the  east.  The  land  is  extremely 
fruitful,  and  the  climate  is  iJerhaps 
the  finest  and  most  healthy  in  the 
world.  It  has  hitherto  l:)een  the 
fate  of  these  regions,  like  that  o 
modest  mer't  or  humble  virtue,  to 
remain  unnoticed;  l)ut  posterity 
will  do  them  justice;  towns  and  cit- 
ies will  hereafter  flourish  where  all 
is  now  desert;  the  waters,  over 
which  scarcely  a  solitary  boat 
is  yet  seen  to  glide,  will 
reflect  the  flags  of  all  nations;  and 
a  happy,  prosperous  people  receiv- 
ing with  thankfulness  what  prod- 
igal Nature  bestows  for  their  use, 
will  disperse  her  treasures  over 
every  part  of  the  world. 

"  A  fresh  and  favorable  wind 
brought  us,  without  niuch  delay 
from  the  opposing  ei)b-tide,  to  the 
northern  shore.  We  left  the 
common  embouchure  of  its  two 
I)rincipal  rivers,  distinguished  by 
the  steepness  of  their  Ijanks  to  the 
right,  and  rowing  U})  the  narrvnv 
channel  which  lias  formed  itself 
through  the  marsh  land,  reacihed 
our  landing-place  just  as  the  sun's 
disk  touched  the  summits  of  the 
mountains  in  the  west. 

CHAI'TIOR  IX. 
"We  were  still  distant  a  good 
nautical  mile  from  the  mission 
of  St.  Gabriel  (Rafael),  which 
peeped  from  amongst  the  foliage  of 
its  ancient  oaks.  Many  honses  be- 
longing to  the  mission  were  grazing 


on  a  beautiful  meadow  by  the 
waterside,  in  perfect  harmony  with 
a  herd  of  small  deer,  which  are  very 
numerous  in  this  country.  Our 
dragoons,  who  had  no  inclination 
for  a  long  walk,  took  their  laa»o» 
in  hand,  and  soon  caught  us  as 
many  horses  as  we  wanted.  We 
had  l)r()ught  our  saddles  with  us, 
and  a  delightful  gallop  across  the 
plain  carried  us  to  St.  Rafael, 
where  we  we  were  received  in  a  very 
hospitable  manner  by  the  only 
monk  in  residence. 

"The  locality  of  this  mission, 
founded  in  ISUl,  is  still  better  cho- 
sen than  that  of  the  celebrated 
Santa  (Mara.  A  mountain  shelters 
it  from  the  injurious  north-wind; 
but  the  same  mountain  serves  also 
as  a  hiding-place  and  bulwark  for 
the  fndidnos  hraros,  who  have  al- 
ready once  succeeded  in  burning 
the  buildings  of  the  mission,  and 
still  keep  the  monks  continually 
on  the  watch  against  similar  depre- 
dations. In  fact,  St.  Rafael  has 
c[uite  the  appearance  of  an  outpost 
for  the  defense  of  the  other  mis- 
sions. 

"The  garrison,  sir  men  strong,  is 
always  ready  for  service  on  the 
slightest  alarm.  Having  been 
driven  from  my  bed  at  night  by 
the  vermin,  1  saw  two  sentinels, 
fully  armed,  keeping  guard  towards 
the  mountain,  each  of  them  l)eside 
a  large  lire;  every  two  minutes  they 
rang  a  bell  which  was  hung  be- 
tween two  jjillars,  and  were  regu- 
larly answered  by  the  howling   of 


^IIISIB'^^^2^^ 


*r^ 


.si 


I.iiiKliiig  ut  I'ort  lU't^s  UK  it  is  Tii-diiy 


THK    JOIKNKV    KKOM    ST.    HAKAKI, 


fl6 


tlio  little  Wdlf  I  liiivc  ])eforo  siKiken 
of  118  oftoi.  lurking  in  the    vicinity 
of  the  misHioiiB.     That  there  is  not 
nmch  to  feiir  from  otiier  enemies,  is 
Hutlic'iontly    proved    l,y   the   ninall 
numher   of  soidiepH    kept,  and    the 
total  neglect  of  all   regular   ineauH 
of  defense.     The  courage  of   thes« 
/'/v/nw  HeeniH  indeed  principally  to 
ccnsist    in    unwillingness      to     he 
caught,  in  flying  with  all  speed   to 
their  hi>ling-p!aces  when    pursued, 
and  in  setting  lire  to  any  property 
of  the  missions  when  they  can  lind 
an  opportunity  of  doing  so   unoh- 
served.     We    saw   here   several   of 
these    heroes     working     jjatiently 
enough  with  irons  on  their  feet,  and 
in  no  way  di.stingiiishahle  in  man- 
ners   or    appearance     from     their 
hrethren  of  St.   Krancisco  or  Santa 
Clara. 

"With  the  fir.st  rays  of  the   sun 
we  mounted  our  horses,  and  having 
passed    the   valley    of   St.    (Jahrie'l 
( Itafael),  and  the  hill  which  bounds 
it,   our    guide    led    us   in   a    north- 
westerly direction   further  into    the 
interior.     The    fine,  light,  and    fer- 
tile soil  we  rode  upon  was    thickly 
covered  with  rich  herbage,  and   the 
luxuriant  trees  stood  in  groujis  as 
liicturesque  as  if  they  had  been  dis- 
posed by  tl,e    hand    of   taste.     We 
met  with  numerous  herds  of  small 
«leer,  so  fearless,  that  they  suffered 
us  to  ride  fairly  into  the    midst   of 
them,  but  then  indeed  darted  away 
with   the    swiftness    of    an    arrow. 
We   sometimes   also.   Imt    less    fre- 
quently,   saw    another    species    of 


stag,    (elks)    as    large   as   a   horse, 
with  branching  antlers;  these  gen- 
erally graze  on  hills,  from  whence 
they   can   see   round   them   on  all 
sides,  and  appear  much   more  cau- 
tious  than    the   small    ones.      The 
Indians,  however,   have  their  con- 
trivances to  take  them.     They  fast- 
en a  pair  of  the   stag's   antlers   on 
their  heads,  and  cover  their  bodies 
with    his    skin;    then   erawling   on 
all-fours    among    the    high    grass, 
they  imitate  the  movemoiits  of  the 
creature   while   grazing;    the   herd, 
mistaking  them    for   their   fellows, 
suffer    them   to   approach    without 
suspicion,  and  are  not  aware  of  the 
treachery  till  the  arrows  of  the  dis- 
guised foes  have  thinned  their  num- 
ber. 

"Towards  noon  the  heat  became 
so  oppressive,  that  we  were  obliged 
to  halt  on  the  summit  of  a  hill:  we 
reposed  under   the    shade   of   some 
thick    and    spreading   oaks,    while 
our    horses   grazed   and   our   meal 
was    i)reparing.     During   our   rest, 
we  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  troop  of 
Indians     skulking     behind      some 
bushes  at  a  distance;  our  dragoons 
immediately  seized  their  arms,  but 
the  savag"s  disaj)peared  without  at- 
tempting   to   apj)roach    us.     In    a 
few  hours  we  proceeded  on  our  jour- 
ney, through  a  country,  which  pre- 
senting   no   remarkable    object    to 
direct  our  course,  excited  my  aston- 
ishment at  the  local  memory  of  our 
guide,    who   had    traversed    it   but 
once    before.     Two     great     shaggy 
white   wolves,    hunting   ,i    herd    of 


t 


an 


TIIK    THAVKI.KRS    AIUdVK    AT    IKiDKDA 


Hiimll  deer,  lleil  in  terror  tin  our 
apiieiirinu'e,  and  we  had  tlie  ^'atili- 
cation  of  Having  tlie  pretty  aninialrt 
for  this  time.  In  several  places  we 
Haw  little  cylindriially-Bhaped  liutx 
of  underwood,  wliii'h  ap|ieared  to 
have  iieen  recently  quitted  liy  Ind- 
iaiiH,  and  sometimes  we  even  found 
the  still  glinimeriiiji;  endiers  of  a 
fire;  it  is  therefore  i)rol)ai)!e  that 
the  savages  were  often  close  to  us 
when  we  were  not  aware  of  it;  hul 
they  always  took  care  to  conceal 
themselves  from  the  much  dreaded 
dragoons  and  their  Inssos. 

"In  the  evening  we  reached  a  lit- 
tle mountain  brook,  which,  after 
winding  through  a  ravine,  fallrf  into 
the  sea  at  I'ort  Uomanzow,  or  Bod- 
ega. It  was  already  dark,  and 
though  liut  ten  nules  distance  from 
Hoss,  we  were  obliged  to  i)ass  the 
chill  and  foggy  ni^ht  not  very 
agreeably  on  tiiis  spot.  In  the 
morning  we  for  led  the  shallow 
stream,  and  as  wc  ^irjceeded,  found 
in  the  bold,  wild  features  of  the 
scene  a  striking  difference  from  the 
smiling  valleys  through  which  we 
had  travelled  on  the  preceding  day- 
The  nearer  we  drew  to  the  coast, 
the  more  abrupt  became  the  jireci- 
pices  and  the  higher  the  rocks, 
which  were  overgrown  with  larch 
even  to  their  peaked  summits. 

"We  wound  round  the  bases  of 
some  hills,  and  having  with  much 
fatigue  climbed  other  very  steep 
ascents,  reached  towards  noon  a. 
considerable  height,  which  rewarded 
us    with    a    magnilicent    prospect. 


Amongst    the    remarkable    ubjeets 

before  us,  the  ocean  stretched  to  the 
west,  with  the  harbor  of  Uomanzow 
(  Modega),  which  unfortunately  will 
only  afford  admission  to  snnill  ves- 
sels; the  Uussiaii  settlement  here, 
can  therefore  never  be  as  prosperous 
as  it  might  have  lx>en,  had  circum- 
stances iierndtted  its  establishment 
on  the  bay  of  St.  I'rancisco.  'l"o 
the  east,  extending  far  inland,  lay 
a  valley,  called  by  the  Indians  the 
Valley  of  the  White  .Men  (Santa 
Kosa).  There  is  a  tradition  among 
them,  that  a  ship  was  once  wrecked 
on  this  coast;  that  the  white  men 
chose  this  valley  for  their  residence, 
and  lived  there  in  great  harmony 
with  the  Indians.  What  afterwards 
became  of  them  is  not  recorded. 
On  the  northeast  was  a  high  moun- 
tain thickly  covered  with  fir  trees, 
frtun  amongst  which  rose  dark  ool. 
umns  of  smoke,  giving  evidence  of 
Indian  habitations.  Our  soldiers 
said  that  it  was  the  abddenf  a  chief 
and  his  tribe,  whose  valor  had 
won  the  respect  of  the  Spaniards; 
that  they  were  of  a  distinct  class 
from  the  common  race  of  Indians; 
had  fixed  their  dwellings  on  this 
nioinitain  on  account  of  its  sup- 
j>osed  inaccessibility;  were  dir-tin- 
guislied  for  their  courage,  and  pre- 
ferred death  to  the  dominion  of  the 
Missionaries,  into  whose  power  no 
one  of  them  has  ever  yet  been  en- 
trapped. Is  it  not  possible  that 
they  may  owe  their  superiority  to 
having  mingled  their  race  with  that 
of  the  shipwreeke<l  whites? 


"Oui 
iicro.KH 
Honictir 
the  occ 
'»y  its  s 
'uanzov 
hed    of 
which   ( 
mime  of 
Farther 
dee  per, ;i 
its  b.iiik: 
peopled 
hordes, 
"ortlieasi 
proceed  e( 
dred    wti 
''•'iglish  I 
"The     I 
through 
though  ui 
uriant  gn 
that  the 
swimiijt  ol 
to  our  gre 
lis  the  fori 
<lescen(lcd| 
road.     W 
and  e.\cit(l 
ils  we  pMsJ 
f?allop.      .\| 
ernor  of  (I 
'IS  in  tliek[ 
fiuns  to  g 
fian-.\iiiei| 
♦  lucted  us 
<»nlerly  mj 
I'ean  fashii 

"The  se 
on  the  seaj 
and  on  ani 


TIIK    HIHSIAX    HKTTI.KMKNT    AT    HOHH 


27 


"Our  road  now  hiy  soiiiotiineH 
across  hills  iind  meadows,  and 
Hoiuetinies  alon^  tlio  sands  so  near 
the  ocean  tliat  we  were  sprinkled 
hy  its  spray.  Wo  passed  Port  Uo- 
nian/ow,  and  soon  after  forded  the 
l»ed  of  another  shallow  river  to 
which  the  liussians  have  given  the 
name  of  Shivianka  (llnssian  river), 
i-'arther  inland  it  is  said  to  he 
deeper,and  even  navigal)Ie  for  ships; 
itB  l)ankH  are  extremely  fertile,  hut 
|)eopled  hy  numerous  warlike 
hordes,  it  Hows  hither  from  tlie 
northeast;  and  the  Uussians  have 
proceeded  up  it  a  distance  of  a  hun- 
dred wersts,  or  ahoiit  si.vty-seven 
l'!njilish  miles. 

"The  region  we  i!ow  passed 
through  was  of  a  very  romanlii' 
thoU}rh  wild  character;  and  the  lu.v- 
uriant  growth  of  tlie  grass  jtroved 
th.at  the  soil  was  rich.  From  the 
summit  of  a  high  hill,  we  ,it  length, 
to  our  great  joy,  peri'eived  heiicath 
us  the  fortress  of  Kii:is,  to  which  we 
descended  h\- a  tolerahly  convenient 
road.  We  spurred  our  tire<l  hi.rses. 
and  e-xcited  no  small  astonishment 
as  we  jiassed  through  the  gate  at  a 
gallop.  .M .  \'on  Schmidt,  the  gov- 
ernor of  tin'  estalilisliment.  received 
us  in  the  kindest  manner,  tired  some 
guns  to  greet  our  arrival  on  lius- 
sian-.\meri(;an  ground,  and  con- 
ducted us  into  his  commodius  and 
ordei'ly  mansion,  huilt  in  the  Imu'o- 
pean  fashion  with  tiiick  heams. 

'•The  settlement  of  l{oss,  situated 
on  the  seashore,  in  latitude  .'iS  ;;;;', 
and  on  an  iusiguilicant  stream,  was 


founded  in  tiie  year  IS  12,  with  tlie 
free  consent  of  the  mitives,  who 
were  very  useful  in  furnishing  ma- 
terials for  the  huildings  and  even 
in  their  erection. 

"  The  intention  in  forming  tliis 
settlement  was  to  pursue  the  chase 
of  the  sea-otter  on  the  coast  of  Cal- 
ifornia, where  tlie  animal  was  then 
numerous,  as  it  liad  hecome  ex- 
tremely scarce  in  the  more  northern 
estahlishments.  The  Spaniards  who 
did  not  hunt  them,  willingly  took  a 
small  compensation  for  their  ao- 
(luiesi'once  in  the  views  of  the  Kns- 
sians;  and  the  sea-otter,  though  at 
jiresent  scarce  even  here,  is  more 
fre<|uently  caught  along  the  Oali- 
foriiia  coast,  southward  from  i'oss, 
than  in  any  other  (piarter.  The 
fortress  is  a  (piadrangle,  pa!isa<led 
with  tall,  thick  heams,  and  defended 
hy  two  tower.s  which  mount  tifteen 
cannons.  The  garrison  consisted, 
on  my  ai  rival,  of  a  hundred  anil 
thirty  iren,  of  wliom  a  small  mim- 
lier  only  were  Kussians.  the  rest 
.VIeutians. 

■  The  Spaniards  lived  at  tir.st  on 
the  hest  terms  with  the  new  settlers, 
and  provided  them  with  oxen,  cows, 
horses  and  sheep;  l>ut  when  in  j>ro- 
cess  of  time  they  hegan  to  remark 
that,  notwithstanding  the  infer- 
iority of  soil  and  climate,  the 
Russian  estahlishment  hecame  more 
tlourishing  than  theirs,  envy  and 
apprehension  of  future  danger  took 
j)ossessiou  of  their  minds;  they 
then  reipiired  that  tlie  settlement 
should     he    ahaudoned,  —  asserted 


i 


li 


ji 


S8 


THE    INHABITANTS    OF    ROSS 


that  their  rights  of  domination  ex- 
tended northward  (luite  to  the  Icy 
Sea,  and  threatened  to  support  their 
claim  by  force  of  arms. 

The  founder  and  tlien  commander 
of  the  fortress  of  Ross,  a  man  of 
penetration,  and  one  not  easily 
frightened,  gave  a  very  decided  an- 
swer, lie  had,  he  said,  at  the  com- 
mand of  his  superiors,  settled  in 
this  region,  which  had  not  pre- 
viously been  in  the  po.ssession  of 
any  other  jjower,  and  over  which, 
consequently,  none  had  a  right  but 
the  natives;  that  these  latter  had 
freely  consented  to  his  occupation 
of  the  land,  and  therefore  that  he 
would  yield  to  no  such  unfounded 
pretension  as  that  now  advanced 
by  the  Spaniards,  but  should  be 
alway.s  ready  to  resist  lurce  by 
force. 

"Perceiving  that  the  Russians 
would  nut  complj' with  iheirabsurd 
requisitions,  and  considering  that 
tliey  were  likely  to  be  worsted  in 
an  appeal  to  arms,  the  Spaniards 
(]uietly  gave  up  all  farther  thouglit 
of  hostilities,  and  entered  again 
into  friendly  communications  witli 
our  ])eo])le:  since  which  thegreatest 
unity  has  subsisted  between  the 
tw'ti  nations.  The  Spaniards  often 
find  Ross  very  serviceable  fo  them. 
For,  instance,  there  is  no  such  thing 
as  ■>  smith  in  all  Culifuniia;  conse- 
qutiitly  the  making  and  repairing 
of  all  manner  of  iron  inn)lements 
here  is  a  great  accommodation  to 
them,  and  affords  hicnitive  eni])loy- 
ment  to   tlie    ivussians.     The    dra- 


goons who  accompanied  us,  had 
brought  a  number  of  old  gunlocks 
to  be  repaired. 

"In  order  that  the  Russians 
might  not  extend  their  dominion 
to  the  northern  shore  of  the  Bay  of 
St.  Francisco,  the  Spaniards  imme- 
diately founded  the  missions  of  St- 
(Jabriel  (Rafael)  and  St.  Francisco 
Salano  (Sonoma).  It  is  a  great 
pity  that  we  were  not  beforehand 
with  them.  The  advantages  of 
possessing  this  beautiful  bay  are 
incalculable,  especially  as  we  have 
no  harbor  but  the  bad  one  of  Bodega 
or  Port  Romanzow. 

"  The  inhabitants  of  Ross  live  in 
the  greatest  concord  with  the  Indi- 
ans, who  repair,  in  considerable 
numbers,  to  the  fortress,  and  work 
as  day  laborer.3  for  wages.  At  night 
ihey  usually  remain  outside  the 
j)alisades.  They  willingly  give  their 
daughters  in  marriage  to  Russians, 
and  Aleutians;  and  from  these 
uinons  ties  of  relationship  have 
arisen  which  strengthen  the  good 
understanding  between  them.  The 
inhal)itants  of  Ross  have  often  pen- 
etrated singl}'  far  into  the  interior, 
when  engaged  in  the  pursuit  of 
deer  or  other  game,  and  have  passed 
vhole  nights  among  different  In- 
dian trihes,  without  ever  having 
experiencetl  any  inconvenieiu'e. 
This  the  Spaniards  dare  not  ven- 
ture upon.  The  nioie  striking  the 
(H)nt.'asl  between  the  two  nations  in 
their  treatment  of  the  savages,  the 
more  ardently  must  ever)  friend  to 
humanity  rejoice  on  entering  Rus- 
sian teiritory. 


THE    IXniAXS    OP    HOSS   AXD    THEIR    HABITS 


"  The  climate  at  Ross  is  irild 
Reau,„ur's  thernu.meter  seldom 
Mh  to  the  freezing  point,  yet  par- 
Jlens  cannot  flourish  on  account  of 
he  frequent  fogs.  Hon.e  Mersts  far- 
''!'■   "''''^"'''    I'^Toncl  M,e  injurious 

'"""^  '^f  tl.e  fog,  plants  of  the 
warmest  climates  prosper   surpris- 

"iff'y-  Cucumbers  of  fifty  pounds, 
we.ght,  gourds  of  -ixty-five,  and 
"^^'^r  l'-«'tH  in  proportion,  are 
produced  in   th.-^^     Potatoes  yield 

=1  hundred  or  ;  wo  hundred  iold,'and 
''"  "'•'3'  will  produce  two  crops  a 
year,  are  an  effectual  security 
^^jra.nst  famine.  The  fortress  is 
^urr.,un,!ed  Uy  wheat  and  barley 
f'''''^'  "''i^'l',  on  account  of  tl.; 
%s,  are  less  pro-Iuctive  than  those 

^'-.'^anta  Clara,  hut  which  still  su,,- 
I'ly  sulficienl  corn  for  the  inhahi- 
t;"'<«  of  Ross.  The.McutiansJind 
' ,  '"■  •''"'•'^'  ''fresoagreeahle,  that 
although  unwilling  to  leave  tlicir 
■slands  they  are  seldom  inclined  t,. 
'■*'tiirn  to  them. 


S9 


"The    Spatnanls    sh.uild    take    ■, 
It^'son  in  l.ushan<lrv    fn.m  .M    \-,„. 
«i'l'tnidt.  wh..  has  brought  it  t..  an 
adimral.le  degree  of  perfection.  Im- 
plt-nients,  equal  to  the  best  we  haye 
•"  '"^'">o!H',  are  made  here  unocr  his 
<iuvrlu,u.     Our    .Sp.ani.h    compan- 
'""•'   "ere  struck   with   admirati(,n 
^twl.at   he  had  done,   !„,(  what  a.- 
tomsiied   tliem   m,,st   was  the  effect 
of  a  windmill;  th.-y  had    neyer  he- 
fore   seou   a  machine  so  imrenious 
and  so  well  adapted  („',h,.  purpose. 
"  fioHH  is  blest  with  an  alunulaucc 
of    the    finest    wood    for   building. 


The  sea  provides  it  with  the  most 
do  icious  fish,  the  land  with  an  in- 
exhaustible  quantity   of    the   best 
kinds  of  game;  and,  notwithstand- 
i"R  the  want  of  a  good  harbor,  the 
northern  settlements   might  easily 
find  in   this  a  plentiful  magazine 
for  the  supply  of  all  their  wants. 
"The   Indians   of    Ross    are    so 
•nnch     like     those     of     the     mis- 
^'ons,     that     ti>ey     may    well    be 

l^ni-posed  to  belong  to  the  same  race, 
I'ovvever   different    their    language. 
Ihoy  appear  indeed   by  no  means 
Rtupid,  and  are  much  more  cheerful 
and  contented  than  at  the  missions 
where   a   deep  melancholy  always 
clouds  their   faces,   and   tl.eir  eyes 
are     constantly     fixed     upon    the 
ground;  but  this  difference  is  only 
the  natural   result  of  the  different 
treatment   they  experience.      They 
have   no  permanent  residence    but 
wander    about    naked,    and,    when 
""t  employed    by  the  Ru..sians  as 
day  laborers,  follow  n.,  occupation 
Hit  the  chase.     For  the  winter  they 
lay   np  a  provision  of  acorns  and 
wild    rye.      The   latter  grows  here 
vry  abundantly.      When  it  is  ripe 
tlH-y  burn  the  straw  away  from  it 
'ind   thus  roast  the  corn,   which  is 
then    raked    together,    mixed    with 
"<'orns  and  eaten  without  any  far- 
Jl'or     j.reparation.       The    Indians 
here  have  invented  several  games  of 
chance.        They    are    passionately 
fonil   of    gaming,    an.l   often   pky 
awa;-      everything     they      p.-,,,e«». 
•^I'ould   the  blessing  of  oivihzatiou 
ever  be  extended  to  the  rude  inhab- 


so 


THE    DEPARTURK    OK    1)K.    v.«(.'HSCHOLZ    FROM    ROSS 


itants  of  these  regions  tlie  merit 
will  be  due  to  tiie  Russian  settle- 
ments, certainly  not  to  tiie  Spanish 
missions. 

'  After  a  stay  of  two  days  we 
took  leave  of  tiie  estimable  M.  N'on 
Schmidt  and  returned  by  tlie  same 
way  that  we  came  withn'^  lueeting 
with  any  remarkable  occurre'ce. 
Professor  Escliscboltz  rcmaint  i  at 
lloss,  in  order  to  jirosecute  soint; 
botanic;)  1  researches,  \\V  iidiiig  to 
rejoin  us  by  means  of  an  Aleutian 
baidar,  several  of  which  were  short- 
ly to  proceed  to  St.  Francisco  in 
search  of  otters. 

"  The  C'aiifornian  winter  l)eing 
now  fairly  set  in  we  had  much  rain 
and  frei|uent  storms.  On  the  iJth 
of  October  the  southwest  wind  blew 
with  the  violence  of  the  West-Indi- 
an tornado,  roofed  up  the  strongest 
trees,  tore  off  the  roofs  of  tiie 
houses,  and  occasioned  great  de- 
vastation in  the  cultivated  lands. 
One  of  our  tliickest  cables  l)ri>ke. 
and  if  the  second  had  given  waj' 
we  would  have  been  diiven  on 
tlie  rock^'  slu)re  of  the  cliannel 
whicii  unites  tlie  bay  with  (lie  sea, 
where  a  jiowerful  current  strug- 
gling with  the  teni[)est  produced  i 
friglitful  surf.  Fortunately,  the 
extreme  violence  of  the  storm  bisted 
only  a  few  hours,  but  in  tliat  -hurt 
time  it  caused  a  destructive  inun- 
dation: the  Wiiter  spread  so  rajiidiy 
over  the  low  bind-  that  our  jieop'o 
had  scarce  time  to  secure  tbe  tent, 
witii  tiie    astioiiomic'il    apparatus. 

"  The  arrival  of  Dr.   Fschscboltz 


and  the  liaidars  from  Ross  was  still 
delayed,  and  1  really  began  to  fear 
that  some  misfortune  had  befallen 
tbeni  in  the  tempest;  my  joy  there- 
fore was  extreme  when  at  last,  on 
the  I'Jtii  of  October,  Mie  baidars, 
twenty  in  number,  "iitev  -  f'lc  har- 
bor undami'.ged,  .1'  ■'  >  •eived 
our  friend  again  safe  <hui  .veli.  The 
little  tloti.l.i  had  indeed  left  Ross  be- 
fore tbe  commencement  of  ttic  hur- 
ricane, but  bad  fortunately  escaped 
any  injury  from  it,  by  taking  refuge 
at  a  jilace  called  ('<ti>  ilr  lux  I'luinx, 
till  its  fury  was  ex])en(led:  but  the 
voyagers  had  been  obliged  to  biv- 
onack  on  the  naked  rock,  without 
shelter  from  the  weather,  and  with 
very  scanty  provisions.  Dr.  Fsch- 
scholtz,  however,  not  in  the  sliglit- 
est  degree  disheartened  by  tbe  diHi- 
cnlties  he  had  undergone,  was  qui'' 
ready  to  join  the  voyage  I  Inul  ;  .»  i- 
itated  for  the  examination  o  li," 
.idjacent  rivers."' 

CIIArTKi:    X. 

The  greatest  dillicnlty  the  Rus- 
sians bad  in  maintaining  their  set- 
tlement in  California  was  the 
absolute  huk  of  interest  the  home 
government  toot-  in  't.  This  was 
natural,  UK  :n  ,  ■.  .  e  Hritisb  ' .'eaty 
of  ]S'>\  made  in  London  ;<  '.^si.t 
had  bound  heiself  to  make  1  ■•  fr- 
tlement  isehnv  o-l    4t)'. 

The  Russian-.'vnierican  l'"nr  com- 
Viiuv.  owi  1;  (o  its  remoteness  fi'oni 
ilic  home  1,  v.  rnment,  was  a  sort 
of  iinpiiri'nii  111  I miKirlo.  its  charter 
gave  it  governmental  powers  within 


\ 


jiii!uiu!!iai!Mliaa!S14!M-'?'.*-."i 


'I'lIK    f'AI.IFOHMANH"    WfPDOM 


very  limited  restrictions.  Alex- 
ander Hamnoff,  who  ruled  it  so  Ion  c. 
with   a   rod    of  i,.„n,  used   to  sujr 

Heaven  and  the  Czar  are  far  off" 
i  I'- ;>owers  exercised  by  the  Mm- 
sian-Anierican  Fur  Conipany  were 
very  desj)otic  and  had  the  force  of 
"iipenal  edicts  within  the  juris- 
<liction  of  the  company.  Jt  wa-^  a 
favorite  idea  with  the  Russian'- 
An,encan  Company,,  originating 
witli    IJaranoft;  to  get  possession  of 

r 


.'?/ 


was  an  outgrowth    of   this   desire. 
He  used  as  an  argument  with   tiie 
Cahforiiians    for    a    concession    of 
territory  that  the  occupation  of  the 
northwest  coast   of   California   hy 
the    Russians     would    l,e   a   fence 
against   the   Americans,   of   wlio.u 
the  Californians  had  much   dreac' 
even  at  that  early  day.     The    Cal- 
ifornians were,  it  is  true,  afraid   of 
the    Americans;    but     they     were 
equally    afraid    of    the    lUissiana 


r;:;r:::;;;,.;rz,;:;;^^:;:';^;;;:  i--..- -;-";;;::„:;: 

i..  theeniplnv  of  tl „,n,  '  '""'''""^    ''''-^■'  "''»   '^••« 

northwest  c,J,.t                    '      ■     ""  •'-"•••'"^"'« -^•--i»'^-n  their  coast 

Tins    wish    descended    with    the  "''/'.'"'^•''^^^'^  '"•'-'"•  '^^rritory  of 

^uprcuH.    control    uf     •,  fai  '     f-  '^'^'"'■•'"V^  ^"  ^''^  ^^ily  red-bearded 

I'- fftohissncss  '"'""'  ;;;;;rr';"t"'^^"^'^""^-"''" 

Thecxp,.,iitionof  iJaron    \Vr..n-  J     '       ■  f  '"  T'"^''   '^  ^''^'^' 

H.n..,hereto...rcreferr:;t:.  ilu^  .rll; '';:;'-:  .^ 


M 


THE   EFFECT    OF   WHANG EL's   MOVEMENT 


placed  where  he  (Uice  planted  his 
aggressive  foot  and  flag. 

It  was  the  intention  of  Baron 
V/rangel  if  he  succeeded  in  attaining 
L  in  Mexico  to   return  to 

St.  ^  )urg  with  a  concession  of 

territoi_  which  lie  lioped  would 
cause  liis  home  government  to  take 
an  interest  in  his  scheme  for  the 
aggrandizement  of  his  company 
and  of  his  country  by  obtaining  a 
foothold  in  California.  The  gov- 
ernment at  8t.  Petersburg  only 
autliorized  him  to  negotiate  a  com- 
mercial treaty  with  Mexico  so  far 
as  it  related  to  its  business  on  tiie 
Pacific  coast,  but  nothing  more. 
This  scant  authorisation  greatly 
embarrassed  Wrangel  on  liis  arrival 
in  Mexico.  His  principal  aim  was 
to  get  permission  to  colonize  the 
north-west  coast  of  California,  liut 
his  power  was  limited  to  the 
negotiation  of  a  commercial  treaty. 

When  the  Mexican  government 
had  fully  sounded  the  autliority  of 
Karon  Wrangel  it  very  properly 
declined  luiy  further  discussion  of 
the  matter  witii  one  who  bore  such 
limited  credentials.  All  he  could 
do  was  to  get  an  assurance  'hat 
Mexico  would  favor  a  commercial 
treaty  if  jiroperly  negotiated  be- 
tween accredited  agents  of  the  two 
governments.  And  declining  fur- 
ther negotiation  referred  the  sub- 
ject to  the  Mexican  minister  at 
London,  who  was  instructed  to  con- 
sider any  {»ro|)osition  that  might 
be  made  by  his  lmi)erial  .Majesty, 
the   Emperor  of  all    the    Ixussiaiis, 


for  the  privileges  asked  by  Baron 
Wrangel.  No  proposition  was 
made  of  course.  The  St.  Peters- 
burg government  took  no  step  in 
the  matter,  well  knowing  that  it 
was  bound  hand  and  foot  so  far  as 
the  ac(iuisit;')n  oi  country  in  Cal- 
ifornia went  by  its  treaty  stipula- 
tion with  the  United  States. 

One  effect  of  the  movement  of 
Baron  Wrangel  was  that  it  called 
the  attention  of  the  central 
government  in  Mexico,  and  the 
home  colonial  government  in  Cal- 
ifornia, to  the  importance  of  North 
California,  and  jtending  the  nego- 
tiations between  1831-(>,  orders  were 
issued  for  the  establishment  of  a 
})residio  in  the  town  of  Sonoma, 
which  was  done  in  ISuo  under  the 
direction  oftieneral  Vallejo,  who 
was  made  conunandant  of  tlie 
frontier. 

The  new  timmander  was  in- 
structed t..  i>revent  any  further  en- 
croachments upon  Mexican  territo- 
ry by  the  Russians.  With  this 
view  he  establi.^hod  Ulack  .Mcintosh 
and  Dawson  next  to  the  llussian 
farm,  in  Uodega,  and  lictween  1833- 
t)  all  the  best  lands  in  what  is  now 
Sonoma  coutUy  was  granted  to 
Mexican  citizei  s. 

r>y  this  time  fur  hunting  liai'  '■■^- 
comc  less  j>rolit;ible  nn  the  coast  of 
California,  and  the  otter  was  about 
extermiiuitfd  in  the  bay  of  San 
Francisco. 

The  hope  of  ac(iuiring  territory 
having  failed  with  the  failure  of 
WrangeFs    mission    to    Mexico,    it 


^ 


vj 


V 


i 


TIIK     DKI'AKTIUK    (iK    TIIK     KISSIANS    l-dii    (A  I.I  KOK  NI A 


33 


waB  (lekM-miiieii  hy  the  Hus^siaii 
Ainericiin  ('(in)|iiiny  to  al);uui()n 
Ross.  Tliis  conclusion  must  have 
been  a  relief  to  the  liome  govern- 
ment wiio  liad  ae(Hiiesced  in  tlie 
occupation  of  Ross  i)ut  liad  never 
made  any  ciaun  of  sovereignty,  or 
attempt  to  accjuire  it,  over  th(!  laud. 

Alexander  Rotcheff,  the  lust  Rus- 
sian governor,  in  connection  with 
Kostromitinoff,  a  special  agent  of 
the  company,  under  instructions 
from  the  directors,  commenced  ne- 
gotiations in  \ii:^\)  for  the  sale  of 
the  building,  stock  and  mohilier  of 
Ross.  They  first  tried  to  sell  it  to 
the  Hudson  ]5ay  Company,  hut 
this  company  did  not  want  to  huy. 
They  next  proposed  ioiJeneral  Val- 
lejo  to  sell  it  to  the  Mexican  g('V- 
ernment.  This  i)ropi)sal  (iencral 
Vallejo  rej(  led  with  sc(Umi,  l)ecause, 
as  he  wrote  to  (iovernor  Alvarado, 
"  these  buildings  were  built  on  Mex- 
ican soil  witii  material  from  the 
same  laud,  and  belonged  of  right 
to  the  government,  and.  he  adds, 
'yes,  most  excellent  senor;  soon 
will  the  national  flag  wave  glori- 
ously and  triumphantly  where  was 
hoisted  a  foreign  flag  during  five 
lustres;  the  imperial  eagles  will 
yield  the  held  to  the  eagle  of  .Mex- 
ico, which  we  shall  see  for  the  lirst 
time  roaring  and  spreading  his 
protecti.ig  wings  over  this  portion 
of  t)ur  glo-ious  country  lopped  off 
from  the  .uother  land  by  the  fur- 
hunting  Russians'  " 

While  the  hauty  Castilian 
General  Vallejo  was  so  gaily  sport- 


ing the  .>[exican  eagle  from  the 
flag-staft'  of  Ross  in  his  vivid  im- 
agination, the  shrewd  Rotscheff  was 
negotiating  with  Captain  Sutter  for 
the  purchase  of  the  fort,  and  it  soon 
after  passed  into  his  hands,  to  the 
great  indignation  of  the  t!omman- 
dat<^  del  Fronteria,  who  always 
contended  that  the  Russians  had 
nothing  to  sell  and  Sutter  had  ac- 
(piired  nothing  from  them.  This 
belief  he  would  have  enforced  at 
the  ))oint  of  Mexic^in  lances  if  he 
had  had  the  lances  and  the  lancers 
to  bear  them.  It  was  not  from  a 
lack  of  courage  that  he  let  Sutter 
take  possession  but  because  he 
could  not  lielp  it. 

The  Russians  were  now  on  the 
eve  of  their  ileparture  for  ('alifornia. 
They  had  begun  their  long  journey 
toward  it  in  the  latter  jtart  of  the 
century  when  Yermac,  the  Cossack 
robber,  crossed  the  Ural  mount  "his 
with  his  band  of  marauders,  which 
ended  with  con((uest  of  Siberia.  As 
early  as  IT.'iO  the  Itussians  had 
reached  the  Racitic  Ocean,  colon- 
izing the  intervening  six  thousand 
miles  of  country,  and  in  1740  they 
crossed  over  Rehring  straits  to  the 
American  continent  and  by  the 
close  of  that  century  they  li:td 
solidly  established  themselves  on 
the  northwest  coast  of  .\merica. 
They  did  not  stop  there  but  pushed 
down  tlie  coast,  reaping  a  rich 
harvest  of  furs  as  they  went,  and 
finally,  as  litis  heretofore  been  told, 
took  possession  of  H'niega  Ray  in 
1S1L>,  which  they  held  until    1840. 


34 


Till-;     UrsSIAN     HKTtUKMKNT 


Strangely  enougli  in  tliis  last  year 
WonsnesHiMisky,  a  naturalist  at- 
tached to  the  zoological  muscuni 
of  St.  Petersburg,  arrived  at  Uosh. 
Ke  had  been  sent  to  tlie  coast  of 
eastern  Asia  and  nortiivvest  Amer- 
ica by  the  Academy  of  Science  and 
had  been  making  collectii)ns  on  the 
Asiatic     and     American    seashore. 

From  the  mountain  back  of  Ross 
which  rises  to  a  great  height,  a 
beautiful  view  of  St.  Helena  moun- 
tain may  be  seen  to  the  eastward. 
Its  elevation  above  the  sea  level  is 
4,o48  feet,  and  it  is  the  nio^t  con- 
spicuous featiive  in  the  landscaiie 
of  the  four  counties  of  Sonoma, 
Napa,  ^^arin  and  Lake.  It  can  be 
seen  from  far  out  at  sea  and  also 
from  the  city  of  San  Francisco. 
Wossnessensk}'  doubtless  saw  it 
looming  u\)  in  all  its  stately  gran- 
deur from  tlie  Ross  Ridge.  To  so 
adventurous  a  spirit  as  his,  to  see 
was  to  visit  it;  to  visit  it  was  to 
determine  to  ascend  it.  Tiiis  he 
did  on  June  12,  1S41.  He  named 
it  St.  Helena  in  honor  of  his  im- 
perial    mistress    the    Empress     of 


Russia  and,  planting  a  jiost  on  its 
highest  point,  he  nailed  to  it  a 
copptT  i)iate  inscril)etl  with  tlio 
name  he  had  given  the  mountain, 
his  own  name  and  that  of  his  com- 
])anion  (Tschernech)  with  t!-3  date 
of  the  ascent  and  the  word  "Rus- 
sians" twice  repeated,  once  in 
Russian,  once  in  l^atin.  The  moun- 
tain has  ever  since  retained  the 
name  given  to  it  in  this  notable 
christening,  and  will  stand  forever 
as  an  enduring  monument  of  the 
most  easterly  and  most  southerly 
point  touched  by  the  Russians  in 
their  advance  across  Siberia  and 
the  Pacific  Ocean  to  northwest 
America,  ai\d  thence  down  the 
coast  to  California. 

The  Russians  retired  from  Cal- 
ifornia, and  later  on  from  Alaska 
because,  south  of  Siberia,  there  was 
a  richer  and  even  greater  field  for 
their  aggressive  ambition;  and 
today  that  mighty  empire  holds 
the  destiny  not  alone  of  .\sia  but 
of  Furo))e  in  the  hollow  of  its  po- 
tential hand. 


i    El  1 


"^^ 


mimmmmm 


>.    It 


I  I  * 


